Common Delinquents
by Tsuki no Talia
Summary: Au. A world of gangs and violence isn't something Hinata Hyuga is accustomed to...then again, she's not accustomed to two powerful gang members being attracted to her either. SasuHinaDei.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The city never sleeps. It is never silent, and it never waits. The streets are not kind but the lights are comforting. The smell is not good but the breeze is welcoming. There is no moment of silence except for the pause before a fight. It never waits unless a blow was to be made.

It's dirty, it's dark. It's beautiful it's artistic.

Once you reach its core, you can't escape.

There's no escaping the jungle that is Konoha. The city is a game for all who enter. But sometimes you're not a player, you're just a pawn.

-:- -:- -:-

"So you're leaving?"

"Y-yes."

A snort; "And where exactly are you gonna go? You have no one."

Hinata pauses in her hasty attempt to gather all of her things to look at her younger sister. She stands slender, tall, and beautiful in what seems to be a designer yellow sun dress and a headband to match it. Small pearls rest in her ears and Chanel sun glasses are atop her head. Hanabi un-straps gladiator sandals and plops down on her sister's bed like the two girls are close or something.

Hinata could never dress like her sister. She could never be as confident as her sister...or as cold, or as mean.  
No, she could never be like Hanabi...she never really wanted to be like her anyway.

The yellow contrasts her sister's usual doom-and-gloom attitude and more often than not- cold smiles. Hinata shakes her head at her relative that she knew nothing about and said "I'll go to Okaasan. I've already contacted her."

Hanabi twists her brown hair up into a perfect bun and regards Hinata with a disgusted look, "Okaasan? It's not like she can provide for you. She'll be either drunk or knocked out half the time."

Hinata's hands pause from shoving books into a bag and moves to the necklace her mother had given her before she was stripped of the Hyuga name and kicked out, she stares at her sister again. Cold little Hanabi, who was their father's idea of perfect. Hanabi who'd been too young to remember their mother but had been fed stories of how terrible she was. No, Hiashi would never kick her out; so perfect and smart and thin; she would become a great head for the company.

Plus she has no resemblance to their mother...their mother who was a mess. A plague to the Hyuga name. She had a problem. Hyugas don't have problems. They are perfect and flawless and everything that Hinata- and her mother- are not.

For an understandable reason, Hinata doesn't blame her for her problem. Her mother, Kazumi, had cracked under pressure and fallen into a seemingly unbeatable addiction. Hinata only resents her mother because she had not thought to take Hinata with her.

It doesn't really matter anymore because everyone in Hinata's life leaves.

Hinata continues to fold her clothes. She knows that she's making a bad decision but a worse decision would be to stay there with her father and sister.

"Y-y-you don't know what you're talking about, Hanabi."

Hanabi snorts again, "Whatever. If you don't survive there maybe father will let you come back. If you beg."

If her father let her come back would she really want to?

Hanabi begins to pick orange nail polish from her oh-so-perfect nails and says offhandedly, "Besides, you wouldn't  
last in the city for two days. You are, of course, one of the rich and spoiled daughters of Hyuga Hiashi."

Hinata's eyes narrow. Of course Hanabi would say that. Of course. It would only make sense for sheltered Hinata to run back home to her rich daddy. But she's not like Hanabi, Hinata is self-dependent and doesn't rely on anyone.  
If she can survive social parties full of snotty girls and cold men, she could survive the city.

This of course, coming from the silly rich Hyuga girl.

**A/N: A couple of things **

**1. Yes I know Hinata's mother is dead, but this is an Au after all. **

**2. Since this is an Au, characters will be slightly different, although I usually keep character's canon attitude/mannerism canon. (Or at least my interpretation of them) **

**3. I hope you enjoy, I waited until I had written 10 chapters to post this, so I wouldn't fall behind in updates**

**4. Reviews keep me going. Just because I have 10 chapters written doesn't mean I don't need encouragement to continue. Help me out, reviews are love3**


	2. one

"_The trees may wish for quiet, but the wind will not subside"_

_-Unknown_

**Chapter 1**

Four pale yellow walls, a small bed, one dresser, two windows, white lace curtains, small closet, dusty wood floors, and an empty book case.

This is Hinata's new room.

It's nothing special, and quite dull in comparison to her old room. The furniture is old and worn, there are some chips in the paint on the walls, and the floors are creaky. She rests her brightly colored expensive bags on the faded blanket on the twin-size-bed and sits next to them. She doesn't wince when the springs creak under her weight.

"Hinata-chaaan~" A sweet voice calls in a sing-song voice. It's her mother, Kazumi, making her way to her daughter. Hinata wonders if she's drunk yet, or at least a bit tipsy. Maybe she'll wait 'till the sun goes down.

Hinata's mother rushes into the room and wraps her thin arms around Hinata's torso, she feels her head being pushed against her mother's chest and sighs.

"Okaasan-"

"Hinata-chan!" She replies and then sighs. Hinata can smell the alcohol on her breath.

"Okaasan," Hinata tries again, "I-can't-breathe-"

"Oh! Gomen!" Her mother giggles and releases Hinata. "It's just so good to have my daughter with me. Ahhh, I just want to cry~"

_Please don't cry. _Hinata manages to think dryly. "I know Kaasan. Same." She takes a glance past her room and looks into the dirty living room. "It looks like you need some help around here anyway."

"Oh? Nope. Not at all." Kazumi replies, "Ne, Hinata-chan, I forgot to tell you about your new school." She leaves the room just as quickly as she came.

Hinata sweat drops and stares where her mother had disappeared to. Several seconds later, her mother returns with an arm full of clothing, a book bag, and a pile of books. "Here you go, you start Monday."

Once her mother leaves, Hinata sorts through the heap of crap left on her bed. Her new high-school is called "West Konoha Prep" At least the smiling students on her welcome booklet look nice enough. She pans through it quickly, trying to see what to expect from the school. It's very different from her old school, but that's a given. Hinata's old school was prestigious and full of snotty brats. Gourmet meals every day for lunch, oversized class rooms, and state of the art technology.  
West Konoha Prep seems…lacking, but not dirt poor. It will still be quite a change for Hinata though.  
Hinata tosses the book aside and reaches for the uniform. A blue skirt, plain white blouse and red tie. There's also a blue blazer and a pair of black shoes. Hinata doesn't think that the uniform is too bad, but she could go without the shoes.

After sorting through her school supplies and books, she fell back on her bed, exhausted. Hinata can't decide who she likes living with better. Her mom is basically a drunk and her dad is a raging power-head who expects too much from her.

She still can't forget the feeling of being kicked out and stripped from her title as Hyuga heiress of Hyuga Corps. She wasn't good enough. She tried. Kami, she tried _so hard. _She couldn't do it though, she couldn't meet his standards. His standards were so high yet his opinion of his oldest daughter was so low.

Hinata closed her eyes and fell back against her bed and into what she wishes was a suppressed memory.

"_Hinata, your father requests your pre__sence," Hanabi all but sneers at her. She pushes open the door to glare fully at her._

_Hinata's heart seems to drop into her stomach, and she leaves the comfort of her room to walk down the cold hallways. She bounds down a flight of stairs and finally comes__ to stand in front of her father's office._

_She stands in the foyer. In front of the large double mahogany doors, she tries to collect herself. She straightens her uniform skirt and red tie, having just returned home from school._

_She doesn't want to keep a __busy man waiting, so she bursts through the door with her eyes downcast to the floor._

"_Otousan,"Hinata greets him and bows her head low. She quickly claps her hands behind her back so as to not nervously play with her fingers, a trait inherited from her mo__ther and something her father absolutely hated._

"_I've received your grades," He says not even giving her the satisfaction of looking at her. He's too entertained by whatever is on the computer screen. "It seems that the only thing you're excelling at is _art._ God only knows why I even allowed you to take such a class."_

"_Ano-"_

"_Silence. Let me ask you a question. How do you expect to be the Hyuga heiress with these grades, hm?"_

_She takes a deep breath and wets her lips to speak, "I-I-I'm trying to do better. __I will do better, Otousan. I've spoken with my tea-"_

"_I need to see results. These words you've repeated five times over.."_

_Hinata opens her mouth and then closes it. She's pulling B-s and B+s. Grades most parents would consider good. But no, it's not enou__gh for the CEO of Hyuga Corp._

_Hanabi on the other hand is ranked top in her class, with involvement in the school council, the varsity soccer team, and she still manages to attend their father's social events when she's not trying to make connections-oh so__rry, 'spend time with friends.' Friends her father actually approves of._

_Hinata doesn't know why she feels sour about that. She had no friends for her father to judge._

_And on top of all that, Hanabi received her black-belt in Karate _and_ Taekwondo two years__ before Hinata did. The girl has mastered four different Martial Arts styles, Hinata only two._

_Hinata just can't beat Hanabi. She's the prodigy, she's better than her at _everything _and Hanabi knows it._

_Her father's voice brings her out of her thoughts, "I __also heard from your trainer that you lost your last tournament. You sprained your wrist correct?"_

_Funny he didn't notice, or care to say anything about the black cast around her wrist unless he was looking down on her. She only nods mutely in response._

"_A__nother failure." Hiashi sighs, and stacks some papers on his desk before standing. "I'm sending you to live with your mother on the west side. Maybe you'll realize how good you've got it here when you go live there._

_This time, Hinata does not protest._

_Hias__hi waves his hand in dismissal, his attention once again focused on his work, "You are dismissed. I'll send for you when I decide you can come home. Who knows when that will be, hmm?"_

Yeah. Who knows?

And before she knows it, she's crying. She doesn't know when she started but she really just wants to stop. Tears won't do anything for her. They won't help her. They won't make all her problems and past failures go away. It just makes her seem weaker.

_It's better here, _she tries to console herself. _I'll make__ loads of friends at my new school and be the best in class. I'll spend more time with Kaasan and finally gain more confidence in myself._

She sits up and stretches across her bed like a cat, careful not to hurt her still casted wrist. Hinata decides that she should pan through her textbooks for school. They're Regular classes for a junior; Algebra II, Physics, A.P Language and Lit, History Honors, and her favorite; Studio art.

She still has yet to receive her schedule, but figures that she'll have to get it in the office on Monday.

Deciding to be productive, she leaves her new room in search of something to make for dinner. She's thoroughly disappointed when she opens the refrigerator and finds it almost empty save for a half-full bottle of orange juice, two bottles of water, ketchup, and what looks like moldy lasagna.

A sigh escapes her lips and the dark haired teenager settles on water and a package of saltine crackers she had found in the cabinet. Not much to eat. She wonders if there's ever anything to eat in this house.

"Hinata," Her mother burst into the kitchen with a sloppy smile and a cigarette. "One of the neighbor's daughters is going out tonight. She heard you moved here and asked if you would like to go with her. Why don't you go?"

The ex-heiress is about to decline when she remembers her thoughts from earlier. Her wanting to come out of her shell and making new friends. So she nods and smiles, sure why not?

Her mother smiles again and clasps her hands, "Great! Do you have any dresses? Ino's decided to go clubbing tonight."

Hinata sputters, "But . . .but I'm underage." She says like it's obvious, which it is. She doesn't understand why her mother would suggest such a thing.

Her mother only laughs, "Who cares about that? Your father and I met at one when we were only sixteen."

Wait…what? Did Hinata just hear that correctly?

"Uhhhh….you d-did?"

Her mother nods excitedly, "Mhmm, I was wearing this tight little black dress, drinking a dirty martini-he couldn't keep his eyes off me. Oh I remember that night well, why it was the night you were conceived~"

"Now y-you're just making t-things up!" Hinata exclaims and puts her head down for dramatic measure.

"Sure sure," Kazumi says and waves her hands dismissively, "Well get out of here and get dressed! Ino will be here in five minutes."

Hinata sighs and goes into her new room. She doesn't really plan on doing much at this so called club. She doesn't even really know why she agreed to go. She changes out of her sweatpants and hoody into a pair of black jeans and T-shirt, this shouldn't attract anyone's attention.

Before she knows it, her mother is pushing her out of the house that she had just arrived at several hours prior. "Have fun!" She hollers, pushing her right into the girl called Ino and shutting the door behind her.

"S-sorry," Hinata mutters to the girl. She's pretty, with long blonde hair in a long high pony tail and bright blue eyes all done up in purple eye shadow and silver eyeliner. Hinata wishes she could do her makeup that well. She sticks her hand out awkwardly for the other girl to shake, "I'm Hyuga Hinata."

"Hi Hinata!" The blonde says with a smile, her perfect teeth practically shine. "I'm Yamanaka Ino. I'm glad you could come along. My other friend ditched me."

"A-ah, it's no problem. I didn't have much to do anyway…"

"Oh yeah, you just moved here right?" Ino asks as she starts walking down the street.

Hinata nods feebly, starring at the large apartment complexes and run down shops they pass. She shrinks closer to the blonde as they pass a group of shady looking men. They wolf-whistle at Ino and she flashes them a bright smile before continuing down the street.

"You goin' to WKP?"

"Uh…what?"

"West Konoha Prep. The high school."

"O-oh! Yeah."

"Cool, me too. Maybe I'll see you there" Ino turns a corner and comes to stand at a bus stop. "So where you from? From the looks of it not around here."

"I'm from the upper east side." Hinata says and glances up at the bus stop sign. Apparently they're waiting to catch the '582.' She looks down the street to see the large vehicle approaching. She's never ridden a public bus before.

Ino's whistles and hands Hinata two dollars for fare. She starts to talk before Hinata can utter a word of refusal, "Where the rich people live, huh? By the business district, right? So why'd you move to this dump?"

Hinata notices that Ino likes to talk and ask a lot of questions. She also talks quickly and Hinata has to listen closely to catch everything that came out of the girl's mouth. "It's a…long story."

Ino nods and steps on to the bus that had just pulled up. She slips the two crinkly bills into the machine and Hinata is careful to watch where she puts it so that she doesn't seem like an idiot when it's her turn. The bus lurches into motion and Hinata is thrown against Ino's back. Amazingly Ino doesn't stumble in her black pumps but manages to stable the other girl.

"Sorry!" Hinata's face flushes bright red and people begin to stare. Ino ignores all this and grabs the indigo haired girl's hand and drags her up three steps and to the back of the bus.

"You're supposed to hold on to the bars," Ino comments amusedly. "I take it this is your first time on the bus?"

Hinata nods, still trying to stop blushing from embarrassment. She sits back in the uncomfortable seats and looks around at the other people on the bus. She makes eye contact with a couple of people and they glare back at her so she stops. "Ne, Ino-san, we're both underage. How are we supposed to get in the club?"

"Eh? Oh I know the bouncer. A friend of my cousin. Technically…I'm not supposed to even go to that club…but that's another story."

"O-oh," Hinata replies. The two girl fall into a comfortable silence….well, Ino is comfortable, Hinata is trying to think of something to say.

She seems to notice Ino's awkwardness and begins to asks questions about her starting with;

"How'd you get that cast?"

Hinata jumps at Ino's sudden question, she smiles and says, "Oh, I was competing in a Judo tournament and my opponent twisted my wrist and sprained it".

"Tournament? No offence but you don't look like the fighting type."

Hinata laughs lightly, "I know…my father wants everyone to be highly capable in the area of fighting. It's sort of…a family tradition."

"Hm." Ino hums to herself, she's deep in thought. She looks at the girl next to her for the first time. _Really_ looks at her. She's quite pretty with midnight hair, large opaque eyes, pale skin, straight nose, and small but plump lips. "Oh! You're that Hyuga Heiress! Like…um Hyuga Martial Arts and Sports equipment Co."

"Ex-heiress."

Ino is deaf to the poor girl's words, "Don't you guys own like every dojo in the city-or even the country! And you sponsor everyone in the country wide tournament finals! Wow, wait 'till Tenten finds out. She loves your equipment."

"Ano…I-I'm not really the heiress anymore…"

"Oh," Ino deflates. "Is that why you're out in this dump instead of in a fancy mansion of penthouse on the East side?"

Hinata nods feebly at Ino's remark.

The atmosphere turns awkward once again.

"Um, so when are you going to be able to take the cast off?"

"O-oh, next week, I think."

"Cool."

"Y-yeah…"

Ino sighs and turns to Hinata. She lets out a long breath and gives the other girl a bright smile "Hey sorry if I offended you or came off bitchy or blunt….or anything. My friend says that I'm a bit too nosy-and loud, I'm a sort of an in-your-face type of person, you know?" She rubs her arms- a sign of insecurity Hinata notes.

"Also…I'm sorry about being an insensitive bitch. You must still be hurting about losing your title and all."

"I don't think you were being a…b-b-bitch." Hinata blushes, unused to swearing. "I'm not offended or anything. I think you're really nice, Ino-san."

"Aww." Ino gushes immediately, losing her ashamed demeanor, "You're so cute, Hinata-chan! After what you've been through, you deserve a drink and a hot guy to dance with.:

To this the ex-heiress tries to stutter out a response. _No thanks!_ She wonders why her mother agreed to this and why she even agreed to go, and _why_ did Ino feel the need to find her a 'boy toy'-Ino's words, not Hinata's.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. It's not my best, but isn't my worst.**

**Reviews are love(:**

**I didn't put the disclaimer at the top but here it is, I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. This goes for the rest of the story(I hate writing those things.)**

**Lastly, I'd like to thank my beautiful beta, **_**AnnaliseIsmeneRomano**_**. She writes (amazing) Inuyasha fics, so check them out! C:**


	3. two

"_What good is it to live a life that brings pains?"_

-Aeschylus

**Chapter 2**

She doesn't think that she has had enough to drink yet. The dark bartender doesn't either because he pours her another, oblivious to the fact that she lacks the money to pay her bill. Maybe Ino will pay it for her.

Her glass is filled once again: halfway with an orange liquid and then a clear one follows.

It was Ino's fault really. What kind of friend suggests that she should drink away her problems? Even if it was just for one night. The girl told her that everyone had done it once in their life. After that, she sat Hinata down at a bar and ordered a screwdriver, or vodka with orange juice. A dangerous concoction, the bartender had said.

It was dangerous indeed.

She can feel her mind getting fuzzy, she likes it that way. Another sip and she can't even remember why she's there. Her chin hits the bar and she blinks painfully as her teeth clatter against each other. Her hand reaches up to tangle in her hair and she strokes her head. The alcohol has not rid her of her thoughts yet, and despite the fact that she's swaying in her seat, the bartender continues to pour liquor into her glass.

_How did I get here?_ She can't help but think. The night had been going fine until Ino suggested alcohol and all her problems came rushing back to mind. When she was with Ino earlier, her head was full of hope for tomorrow, but now she's engulfed in thoughts from the past.

"Wow." A voice says from somewhere above her, "How much have you had?"

Hinata turns sloppily to see Ino hovering above her. She shrugs and puts her forehead on the bar table.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ino takes the seat beside her friend. She doesn't seem to care about personal space as she brushes Hinata's hair out of her face. "You look upset. You weren't like this when we got here."

Hinata nods as much as she can with her forehead against the table. She turns her head so that he cheek is resting on the cool table. "I'm fine."

"What?" Ino asks. She shakes her blonde head and takes her hair out of the high ponytail. "God Hinata, your hair is everywhere." She pulls Hinata's mass of indigo hair away from her face and uses the rubber band to put it in a high pony tail like Ino's hair had been. "You look cute with your hair up." Ino declares. "Why don't you wear it like that more often?"

"I hide behind my hair." Hinata states honestly while forcing herself into an upright position. Just as the ex-heiress is re-positioning herself, Ino is grabbing her hand and dragging her out to the middle of the dance floor.

Hinata blindly stumbles after the dancing blonde. She doesn't let go of Hinata though. She decides to have fun and just dance with the girl. Hinata gets the distant impression she looks really stupid. After a while Ino lets go of her and she twirls through the crowd. Hinata tries to look through the sea of people to find her, but can't seem to get close enough to grab her. Ino is lost to the world when she's on the dance floor.

Hinata stumbles towards the bar to order another drink. She can't remember the name of it but its pink and looks delicious.

She's about to take a sip when someone knocks into her arm and the glass drops to the floor. She turns to the offending person and gestures wildly. "Hey..!"

"Sorry, un." The guy says. "I'll buy you another one."

Hinata gaps. Then giggles. He looks just like Ino!

"Its fine," She says, leaning against the bar and giggling to herself. "I probably don't need it anyway." Her words are slurring together.

The blonde guy looks over her, "Yeah, probably." Then he licks his lips and leans closer to her, "So what's your name?"

"Hi-na-ta." She grins, "What's yours?"

"Dei-dar-a." He mimics her with a smirk. "Well Hi-na-ta-chan, wanna dance, yeah?"

She's about to shake her head, no, but he grabs her and pulls away from bar and to the dance floor.

She giggles to herself again because here she is, dancing again, just dragged along by a _different_ blonde. Hours pass and her shoes end up in a vacant corner somewhere, her hair is out of the ponytail Ino had so kindly put up for her, and she's forgotten the blonde man's name. And so Deidara becomes the angel.

This is what she's taken to calling him. Blue hair, blonde eyes. Angel.

"May I call you Angel?"

His lips quirk up, "Why? I've told you my name."

"I forgot it."

"What if I'm not an angel at all?"

"Well eventually all angels become demons."

"What does that say about you, un?"

What does that say, indeed? Hinata doesn't take the time to think over it.

Hinata finds herself twirling with the angel. And Hinata is laughing but she can't hear herself over the loud music. Her skin is sticky with sweat but there are still hands all over her body as she dances with the angel. Skin brushes with skin and smiles and smirks are exchanged. Angel looks amused with her. He grabs her hand and spins her around, she twirls and twirls and when she stops, he's gone.

And all of a sudden, she's laughing and laughing and she doesn't know why. There's something nagging at the corner of her mind but it disappears every time Hinata spins around in a full circle. It's like she's stepped into a dream but doesn't know if it's good or bad.

She sees flashes of faces but can never focus on one; all she knows is that her hand is in someone else's and they're not letting go. The world continues to spin, circles of color; she can't comprehend anything at all.

She's never done anything like this in her entire life.

_Round and round and round she goes. Where she stops? Nobody knows..._

And then her stomach lurches and the contents of her stomach empties itself on the tiles of the dance floor.

-:- -:- -:-

She blinks. Once. Twice. Three times.

This isn't her house. Or her mother's for that matter.

It's a dream, she decides. She rolls over to see a pair of dark eyes staring at her.

She screams and falls off the couch.

"Dammit! Would you stop screaming? My head is pounding!" A loud voice calls.

"You're loud yourself, Ino." The dark eyed man says. He turns to look at Hinata who's still hyperventilating on his couch. "Sorry, this must be weird for you." He gives a big sigh, "Ino come deal with your friend over here."

Hinata watches the man with the ponytail and terrible posture walk away. She buries her head in her arms, suddenly aware of the hammering feeling inside her head. "Augggh."

"Here." The man comes back with a glass of water and two orange pills. "Take it. Chill out, I'm not drugging you." He sets it down on the glass table in front of her. "I'm Shikamaru, by the way. Ino's friend. She's making me make breakfast so have some if you're up to it…_troublesome woman_."

"Uhh…A-Arigato!" Hinata says, and then winces. She glances at the glass of water and pills suspiciously.

"Hinata," Ino comes in the room and sits next to her. "Sorry you had to wake up to Shika. Must've been awkward. Or scary. He's a childhood friend so I decided that we could just crash at his place." She reaches over and takes the glass out of Hinata's hand and chugs it along with the two pills. "Uh sorry where those yours? I'll get you some more."

Hinata stares at her.

"I wasn't _that_ drunk, but you were hammered. So I decided to come here. It's just a few blocks away"

"Ino," Hinata moans, "Don't you have a h-hangover?"

The blonde nods.

"So how can you k-keep talking..?" Hinata clutches her head and rolls over on the couch. "You took my pills…"

Ino gives her a pitying smile before leaving the room. Hinata glares after her before rolling over as much as she can on the dark couch. Kami, what _happened_ last night? All she can remember is arriving there with Ino and speaking with some weird blonde man.

"Here." Ino places two more pills into her hands along with a glass of water. "Come to breakfast, then we'll go back home."

Hinata nods, takes the pills, and follows Ino around the corner and to a tiny kitchen. She sits next to Ino at the circular wooden table that seemed out of place amongst everything else.

"Do you feel any better?" Shikamaru drawls as he moves around the kitchen shooting frequent glares at Ino. "Ino's a partier. I almost feel sorry you had to go along with her."

_You _almost_ feel sorry? _Hinata thinks dryly. "Uh, yeah I feel a bit better. I'm just hungry."

"No kidding. Looked like you barfed up two meals in there." He sits down next to Ino, helping himself to a plate of eggs.

Hinata blushes bright red and focuses on buttering the toast in front of her.

"Ino tells me that you're going to WKP." Shikamaru says through bites of food. He leans back in his chair lazily. "What year?"

"11th," Ino supplies, and then turns to Hinata, "Right?"

Hinata nods once again, she glances at the odd pair in front of her. Ino has her bare legs up and spread across Shikamaru's longs ones. He's slumped down in the old wooden chair…reading a newspaper?

They're a cute couple, Hinata decides. She has to ask Ino later if they're going out.

Ino puts down her cheerios and grins at the meek girl across from her, "I can show you around school tomorrow. You'll love my friends!"

Hinata smiles, "T-thanks." She finishes her toast and glances down at her watch, "Oh shoot. I-Ino I really need to get h-home."

"Oh yeah! I hope you won't be in any trouble." Ino frowns and then turns to Shikamaru. "Hey Shika….can you give us a ride? _Please_ just this once?"

"Sorry I can't today. Naruto gave me a job." Shikamaru stands, stretches, and walks across his kitchen, "The asshole knows I hate morning jobs but he just wants to get back at me for the whole ramen situation."

Ino giggles, "You had it coming."

"Why can't you just use your car?"

"I'm still working on it. Kiba says he can do much more work on the engine for me anyway." Ino turns to Hinata and grabs her arm, "Alright let's go, we have a bus to catch."

Hinata just sighs and shoves a mouthful of eggs in her mouth, she allows herself to be dragged out of the apartment and down three flights of stairs and straining to hear Shikamaru's call of 'Be safe!'

The two girls continue down the street. It's surprisingly quiet for Sunday afternoon. "I think," Ino starts, "We have to catch two buses." She nods and then frowns, "I think-!"

"You mean you d-don't know how to get back h-home?"

"I do! Trust me!" Ino's smile is not exactly reassuring. "I think-I know! That we'll have to walk a while because it's Sunday and the stupid buses don't go as far..."

They reach the bus stop on a lonely corner and stand under the hot sun. Hinata fans her face

and leans against the girl next to her. Her head is still hammering despite taking those pills. Ino looks fine though. The heat and sun not bothering her at all. Did she even really have a hangover?

The hop on the first bus that is crowded with old and working people. Hinata ends up giving up her seat for an elderly woman who smells like...cabbages and wet dog. Finally (thankfully) they arrive at a bus terminal and Hinata and Ino run to catch their next bus that almost pulls off without them.

"Bus drivers..." Hinata pauses to catch her breath. She reaches for a bar and tries to hold on as the bus lurches on, "Are so..." She's still trying to calm her erratic breathing. "M-mean!"

Ino shrugs, "You get used to it. The nice ones hardly ever get anywhere on time."

Hinata nods at her and continues to hang on. She leans against it as she looks out the window. They pass stores and what seems like miles upon miles of apartment complexes, before she knows it, Ino is pulling the yellow cord and announcing their stop in a neighborhood Hinata's never been to- which isn't really saying much since Hinata has never really gotten around the city she was born in.

They both pile out of the bus and onto cracked sidewalk. A couple of guys in hoodies leer at them from across the street. Why are they even wearing hoodies-it's like 80 degrees! Hinata feels worse for Ino who is still wearing her short dress from last night. She doesn't seem to mind, after all she did steal Shikamaru's oversized sweatshirt from his house. Only her legs are showing. Hinata wonders if she's hot too.

"We have to walk a while." Ino sighs and begins to trudge down the street. "So, how do you feel about starting school tomorrow?"

"So so. I just hope I don't get lost..."

"I can show you around. That school's kinda hard to survive. It really depends on who your friends are...you'll be safe with me. I'll introduce you to my friends."

"Really?" Hinata smiles brightly and hugs the blond girl's arm, "Thank you so much. I-I was worried about being alone." She tucks hair behind her ear, "I-I'm not really the best at meeting new people."

"It's fine. My friends are mostly nice-oh shit."

"I-Ino?"

But Ino's not paying attention to her. She's starring across the street at a rowdy group of teens. Her eye brows are drawn together in a grimace and her long nails are digging into her palms creating tiny semi-circles.

"Ino, are you okay?"

"Listen," Her voice is low. "We have to avoid them."

"Umm," Hinata shifts under Ino's intense gaze, "M-may I ask w-why...?"

Ino's blue eyes glance at the group again, "Let's just say...their friends and my friends don't get along...and um this is sort of their turf."

"Turf?" Hinata is utterly confused. "Whaa-"

Ino pulls her and Hinata has no choice but to follow her. They dart down a dark alley hoping that no one has followed them. Ino's hand is tight on Hinata's wrist-the one that isn't in a cast- but she allows herself to be pulled. She's sweating at the prospect of potential danger but is still mulling over the term 'turf.' She follows Ino through the twisting alley ways before they're closed in and their backs are pressed against a wall. Hinata is crouched down trying to contain her rapid breathing. Ino looks fine, just a little disheveled. One of her heels broke.

"Ino," Hinata manages between breaths, "What just happened?"

"Long story, but we're safe now."

Safe?

"Let's you go home, okay Hinata?" Ino flashes a smile that is not exactly comforting.

**Thanks to my beta, AnnaliseIsmeneRomano. You inspire me(yell at me) to actually finish writing these chapters when I'm just sitting there on Tumblr.**

**Thanks for reading**

**Reviews are love3**

**BTW- My updates should be weekly, it depends on how much chapter work I get done so they may vary. I do have several more chapters typed up but I do want to space them out along with typ****ing up other chapters.**


	4. three

"_Death is a shadow that always follows the body."_

-Unknown

**Chapter 3**

It looks like a prison.

West Konoha prep. It's a huge grey building sitting on black cement, a block away from several overpasses and a barren highway. It's extremely big…too big…four levels and God only knows how many wings and buildings the place has. The windows are small and dingy and the main entrance door is large and black.

It all looks very welcoming and not the least bit intimidating.

Hinata sighs and moves her way through the security. She's patted down and her book is being searched. Another sigh, she's only had to do this at airports. The ex-heiress doesn't feel comfortable knowing that she won't be safe at this new school.

After the guards return her purple bag she climbs ten grey stairs. She hesitantly eases her way through the open black door and passed a group of yelling teenagers. She narrowly avoids getting elbowed in the face.

Once she enters the school, Hinata is sure she's entered hell painted green. The lockers are painted the ugliest green she's ever seen and the tiles on the floor are white with speckled green. Ew. She passes tall, narrow, and dented lockers in her search of the office.

Finally she finds it. She eases the brown door open and steps onto a green(why is there so much green?) carpet that her feet seem to sink into. She comes to stand at the counter and smiles nervously, "Umm…e-excuse me I'm ne-"

"Hyuga Hinata," A woman with a huge mole on her chin turns to glare at the teenager. "You're new here. Hm. You're in perfect uniform, cute face, and a stutter. Ha! You won't survive one day."

"Uhh," Hinata winces. That just makes her feel worse. Her cheeks warm and suddenly she feels nauseous. _Kami help me._

"Don't scare the freshman!" A voice calls, chastising mole-lady. Another woman comes in and hands Hinata a stack of paper. "Don't worry sweetie, you'll do just fine."

"But-But I-I'm a junior…"

"Whatever." Mole-lady says. "Those papers are your schedule, map, handbook and locker assignment." She leans over the counter and smiles at Hinata, well…it was more like leering. "Welcome to hell."

**-.- -.- -.-**

16-25-32

_16-25-32_

Her locker refuses to open. Hinata dumps her book bag onto the floor and takes to beating on the green metal door with her un-casted hand. When it doesn't move she checks the slip of paper the office-mole-lady had given her. Locker number 1356 combination 16-25-32. The ex-heriess looks at the locker number to find that she is, indeed, at the right locker.

So why won't it open?!

_Great it's the first day and I can't even open my own locker!_

Hinata begins to repeatedly bang her head against the cool metal. "why-is-life-so-hard-agh!"

"Whoa girly, you're killing precious brain cells there."

Hinata looks up quickly to see a boy her age standing there. He has white hair and some nasty looking sharp teeth. His shirt is open displaying a purple wife-beater, his pants are hanging below his butt. Attractive. He's clearly violating the uniform policy but Hinata's not going to inform him of that.

Hinata turns red and backs up against the locker, "Umm…I can't..um..get my locker open."

"Hm. That's quite the predicament." He smirks at her, strange purple eyes lighting up. "Well you're cute so tell ya what- I get your locker open, you give me a kiss riiight here." He taps a long finger against the hollow of his pale cheek and moves closer to her. Her back is firmly pressed against the cold metal. "Or anywhere else you'd like." The strange boy allows a confident smirk and a raised eye brow.

"N-No thanks!" Hinata's face is flaming red and she feels as if she's about to pass out. "Uhh, I can figure it out m-myself."

"You sure?" He leans his hands on either side of her head, efficiently trapping her. Purple eyes slide down from her face. "I can help you with any way you need."

"Uhh." Her face resembles as tomato, her chest is rising and falling at an erratic rate. And then…her foot sort of slips upward in her panic. It imbeds itself in the guy's crotch. He gives a shout and falls to the floor.

"_Fuck."_ He's grabbing his manly bits as a dangerous look flashes across his face. "I was just trying to be _nice_! I'll get you for this, bitch."

Hinata gaps at this and mutters, "ohmygodimsooosorry!" She runs away without putting her things in her locker and rushes down the crowded hallway.

Great, she's just made her first enemy. And he knows where her locker is! Hinata rubs her face stilling running when she slams right into something and goes tumbling to the ground. At this point she just wants to scream but she gets a hold of herself and decides to just sit there for a while instead. After a minute or two she makes herself stand and looks up to face a head of blond hair.

It suddenly occurs to her that she ran into a person, not a thing.

"Oh-shoot..oh m-man I-I'm so sorry-I-"

The blond turns to look down at her. His only visible blue eye glares down at her, the other is covered by a thick blond bang. An eyebrow is raised it's sort of a Do-You-Know-Who-I-Am look except it's about 100 times more scary.

"Watch where you're going, un."

"s-sorry! I-"

Someone snorts and Hinata looks around the tall blond to see a shorter red haired man standing there. He has a head of red hair and bored brown eyes. He shifts impatiently and says, "You have a worse speech defect than the idiot."

"I don't have a fucking speech problem, asshole, yeah!"

"Yes you do, _un_." The red haired man says.

The bell rings and Hinata shifts uncomfortably.

"Um..I-I'm just gonna go…"

The blond man grabs her arm before she can even step towards the opposite direction. "You look very familiar, un. Have I met you before?"

"N-no I don't think so-"

"-Like that one girl who called me angel at that club, remember, Sasori?"

"Not really but whatever."

Suddenly something yellow comes flashing by and slams into Deidara. Hinata is reading to bolt-she's gonna be late!

"Deidara, don't harass my new friend!" A loud voice exclaims and untangles itself from the Deidara who ended up on the ground.

"Ino!" Hinata sighs gratefully and really just wants to hug the girl. She rushes behind the other girl like she's some type of shield from the two seniors.

"Hinata, this is my cousin Deidara. Deidara this is Hinata."

"Hinata, un!" Deidara exclaims and turns to Sasori, "See it is her except-"

"W-what…"

"Shh!" Ino exclaims. "Don't say anything." With that she grabs Hinata and leads a very confused down the hallway. "Lemme see your schedule."

The second bell rings and Hinata jumps a foot in the air. "I'm late. I can't be late on the first day! Ino-I have to-"

Ino waves her hand at her, "Don't worry I'll take you to your class. We don't have the same first period but whatever, I can be late to my own classes. We have homeroom together so I'll talk to you then."

Hinata still crumbles, "I'm still late. I-I had a perfect record l-last year you know."

Ino laughs like it's the funniest thing in the world, "_really?_ I could never do that." She stops in front of a door, "Anyway here's your first class. Have fun."

**-.- -.- -.-**

"Please stand and tell the class your name and where you're from misses-late-to-class."

Hinata turns red for what seems like the hundredth time that day, "M-My name is Hyuga Hinata and, um, I'm from….here." She sits down so fast her chair almost knocks over.

"I hope you know, Ms. Hyuga, that WKP doesn't tolerate lateness-Kiba get off that damn phone before I break it in half!"

Hinata shrinks back from the professor. They're allowed to cuss at their students?

Something pokes her in the rib and she turns quickly to find a tanned boy with shaggy hair, sharp teeth, and red triangular tattoos on his cheeks grinning at her. "Don't worry Yuke-sensei is just bluffing. WKP basically tolerates anything."

That's supposed to make her feel better? Hinata shakes her head and smiles at the boy next to her, she did say before that she would try to make new friends and she's already made an enemy. She sticks out her hand, "I-I'm Hinata."

"I heard." The boys says but he shakes her hand anyway, "I'm Inuzuka Kiba, pleasure meeting you ma'am." He pretends to take off an invisible hat and does a little bow in his seat.

Hinata giggles in response. It was quite a turnaround from the events just thirty minutes ago.

"So how come you came here in the middle of the year?"

"Uh…I m-moved."

"Inuzuka, Hyuga! Why do I keep hearing your voices?"

"'Cause you have ears, hag." Kiba mutters to himself. He turns to Hinata, "I would've said it louder but I have like, five detentions."

Hinata just nods and gets quiet. She doesn't really want to get into more trouble with her teacher. She lets her head fall onto her arms and is zoning in an out of the teacher's lecture. It's not mildly interesting and it's something she had learned the year before at her old school. Instead she mulls over what had happened when she got home from Shikamaru's.

It was quite surprisingly uneventful. She expected to be grounded for at least a month or at least have gotten a lecture, but when she got home her mother wasn't waiting for her as she expected, she was knocked out in her bed room. Figuring that her mother would wake up and punish her later, she went to hide out in her bedroom. After five hours of cowering there and not being disturbed she wandered into her mother's room for her to tell her that she didn't care at all!

Yes it was quite a change from living with stick-up-ass-Hiashi.

Hinata shakes her head to clear her thoughts. She should at least try to keep up with the lesson on her first day. She wants to start out well. Her mediocre grades from her other classes were transferred over to this school given that she started in the middle of the year-just November.

She glances around the class at the students. Most of them were sleeping, and only a couple of them were actually paying attention. She gives a glance to her new friend, Kiba, who is busy trying to open a bag of chips without making any noise. She giggles to herself as a look of concentration crosses his face as he eases the bag open. He glances her way and offers her some but Hinata shakes her head. The Inuzuka boy shrugs and swiftly rips the bag open, it isn't the smartest move because the contents of the bag fall collectively on the floor. The look on Kiba's face causes Hinata to laugh loudly, she quickly covers her mouth Kiba throws her another helpless look.

Maybe she can get used to this school.

**-.- -.- -.-**

Her next class is the one she's been excited for. Studio Art. She is definitely excited for the class although she seriously doubts that the school has the supplies her old school has. Nonetheless she looks forward to it.

Hinata finds the classroom with only a little bit of difficulty and enters it. The hallways are hell to walk through with people getting shoved into lockers every two seconds, not to mention the rowdiness that everyone seemed to display. The ex-heiress makes her way to the teacher to introduce herself.

"Ah, Hyuga Hinata, right?" A teacher with wavy black hair and red eyes turns to greet her. "Transfer student."  
"H-Hai."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kurenai Yuhi, but everyone calls me Kurenai-sensei." Hinata shakes her hand, "Let's see…we have a pretty full class here, so you can take a seat in the back." Kurenai offers a pretty smile, "I hope you enjoy my class, Hinata."

Hinata smiles back. It seems that her day is brightening up.

That thought is quickly discarded when someone sits across from her glares, "Why are you sitting at my table, un?"

In another life Hinata would like to ask if he _owns_ the table and proceed to tell him that he has no right to say it's his. But for now she squeaks out a response, "Ano…Kurenai-sensei told me to s-sit here…"

The blond boy-Deidara, she remembers, glares at her, "You don't even look like an artist, yeah."

What is that supposed to mean? He didn't look like any more of an artist than she did! His long blond hair made him look like a hippie, if anything else. If he thought that wearing his uniform with the sleeves pushed up and half open to display a black wife-beater was artistic, he was sadly mistaken. Hinata looks up to glare at him but doesn't reply.

The two go about ignoring each other for the rest of the class period. Hinata doesn't know what this guy's problem is but she knows that she doesn't like him. Every time he looks up, it's to glare at her and she doesn't like the dangerous glint in his eyes. There' some type of dangerous energy about him that's unnerving.

He didn't seem like this in the hallway that morning. But then…he was mistaking her for someone else and Ino was there. Her light eyes look up to observe him as an artist would her subject, straight nose, narrow aqua eyes, thin lips, an angular jaw, and a head of hair. If ever given the chance, she would probably draw him. Her eyes pass his face down to his torso when she notices swirling black cursive tattooed to the exposed part of his chest.

"What the hell are you looking at, un?" He practically barks at her.

Hinata shrinks away and red blush coats her cheeks. She turns her head to listen to Kurenai-sensei about the importance of good composition.

Before the end of class,Kurenai speaks briefly about Hinata's portfolio at her old school and gives Hinata her art supplies that she can take home; a sketchbook, pencils, and colored pencils. Hinata is happy to receive them since she left almost everything art related at her old house.

The bell rings while Kurenai is in the middle of explaining the next project. Hinata darts out of the classroom without a second thought. Next is homeroom, and it's all the way across the school. Great.

Shifting the books in her arms, Hinata exits the building to get to the other wing of the school faster. There are visibly less people walking outside, and only a few were actually going to class. The others are lurking in the shadows of the building oblivious to the fact that class is in session. Despite the fact that there are less people outside, she still manages to be shoved into and glared at.

The animosity is new to her and she is especially aware that she actually is alone at this new school. In this new world. Despite the fact that she met Ino and Kiba, she still feels as if she has to take on the world by herself. At this school, where the people are tough, and the building itself seems to leer at her she feels so small and unimportant.

Then again, she doesn't really want to be noticed at West Konoha Prep. Being noticed there could only be a bad thing. Some of the students are downright scary with piercings anywhere they can find space and weird adjustments to the uniform.

Hinata finally reaches homeroom and manages to open the door without dropping all her books.-not to mention her arm is still in a cast. Before she can even find a seat, a pair of arms engulfs her. "Hinataaaa."

"H-Hi, Ino. Um, can you let me go? I might drop all my books."

"Sorry!" Ino says and then takes two of them before dropping them on the desk beside her. "Why do you have so many?"

"I couldn't get my locker open this morning." The indigo haired girl plops down on the seat beside Ino. "I kinda…um k-kicked this guy and ran away."

"_You_ kicked someone?" A new voice comes.

Hinata turns around to see Kiba standing there with his arms crossed. He looks amused, like Hinata couldn't hurt a fly.

Ino hits him over the side of his head with a notebook, "Yeah Hina's tough. She's mastered, like, four different martial arts."

"T-two." Hinata corrects feebly.

"No way!"

Hinata nods, smiling widely at the boy in front of her. He takes the seat next to her with Ino on her other side. "So, how's your first day?" Ino asks.

"Uh, it's okay, I haven't met many people..but-"

"-I can introduce you!" Ino stands and rolls up her sleeves. "You already know Kiba and Shikamaru-" She gestures to the sleeping boy across the room and then grabs Hinata's elbow and drags her across the room. "This is Shino and Chouji."

"N-nice to meet you- I-I'm Hinata."

Shino shakes her hand politely, "Nice to meet you." Hinata vaguely wonders what his eyes look like under his dark glasses, but he has a mysterious smile and seems nice enough so she dismisses the thought.

Chouji wipes his greasy hands on his kakis and reaches out for Hinata to shake his hand. She shakes and gives him a smile. Chouji smiles back before turning back to his chips.

"Our group has a couple more members but they're in different homerooms and three of them are seniors," Ino explains, "And one of them isn't even here today…"

"Eh? Sasuke's not here?" Kiba asks as he tries to reach over Shino to get to Chouji's bag of chips.

The second bell rings and Hinata sits down by the rest of them. She watches the other students file in late, but still no teacher. "Ano..w-where's the teacher?"

"Oh Kakashi?" Ino waves her hand in a dismissive manner, "He's always late. But yeah, Sasuke's not here today. I have first with him, remember?"

"Sasuke's never here," Chouju argues, while Hinata's just trying to figure out who this Sasuke guy is.

"Must've had a job…" Kiba says, "Did he go alone?"

"Yeah, he had to take care of a treaty of something with some other group-you know the trouble with the Akats-" Chouji starts.

Shikamaru chooses this time to wake up. He holds up his hand and glares at the two boys, "You shouldn't be discussing this here, and with her around." He shoots Hinata a pointed look.

She shrinks down in her chair. She wonders if she should be offended or saddened because she's being left out or maybe a bit of both, "Ano, I-I can l-leave…"

"No!" Ino and Kiba chorus.

Shikamaru gives a big sigh, "You don't have to leave…" The boy sounds exhausted. She can't understand why because she's sure he sleeps through all his classes. "Anyway Sasuke didn't go alone, he went with Naruto-and Naruto'll be back by lunch."

"Why does Naruto get to miss school? He needs to be here more than any of us!" Ino whines.

Shikamaru just shrugs at her and lets his head fall back on his arms.

Three minutes before homeroom ends, their teacher-Kakashi walks in late, claiming that he got lost on the path of life. The entire class gives a collective sigh. Apparently, Hinata realizes, this happens on a regular basis.

"Ah, Hinata," The teacher calls her up. He's very strange with silver-ish hair and a mask over his mouth and nose. He also has a long scar running across one eye. "You're new and are also in my lit. class. Here are some school papers for you…mhmm…and oh here's some friendly advice…keep your eyes open around here. You never know who's your friend and who's not."

"Th-thank you?" Hinata manages before darting back to her friends.

Quickly after homeroom, Ino and Chouji realize that they have the same class as Hinata next so they walk with her. On the way they stop at her locker and Chouji manages to get it open for her. "Have you ever used this type of lock before?" He squints at her, "You kept turning it to the left first instead of the right."

She decides against mentioning that they had locks with keys at her old school.

When she finally gets over her embarrassment, Chouji is still squinting at her, "Hey are you that girl who kicked Suigetsu over here? Because I heard about that and he's livid and out for blood."

They enter the classroom as Hinata rubs at her face, "It was an _accident!_" Hinata exclaims, her face flaming red. "He got to close and…and I-"

"_You_ kicked him. Oh, well that's not good." Ino turns to her with worry etched across her face. "He's not a nice guy, although he got what he deserved…don't mess with him or the people he's associated with."

That advice would've been a lot more helpful, you know…at the beginning of the day.

**-.- -.- -.-**

In the hellish looking cafeteria Hinata begins to notice some things. Like how one group that sat together all had yellow bandanas tied around their upper arms, or how another group all wear white bandanas. It was…a little extreme to just be regular clicks. Somehow it all falls together in her mind why different areas of the school have different colored markings on the…like signs of territory? She isn't sure what all this is, but she wants to find out.

At WKP it seems as if everyone is out to get her and she has to stick to the right people….whoever those people may be. Over the mass of teenagers, Hinata can make out Ino waving to her so she starts in that direction.

When she gets there, Ino grabs her tray from her one-hand grip and places it on the table and introduces her. "People-who-don't-already-know-her, this is Hyuga Hinata."

"I am Rock Lee. It is nice to meet another youthful person such as myself!" A boy with a bowl cut and abnormally large eyebrows exclaims. Hinata smiles at him brightly.

Someone else greets her by giving her a huge hug, "Nice to meet you, Hinata! I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" Her vision is assaulted by orange- which is weird because there's no orange in the uniform. Naruto steps back to reveal himself wearing a big orange hoodie over his wrinkled uniform shirt. He has tanned skin, spiky blond hair, and bright blue eyes. Attractive.

A girl sitting directly across for her doesn't look up from her phone. Hinata can see her green eyes glare at her though. She smooths her weird pink hair from her face and puts out a perfectly manicured hand for Hinata to shake, "I'm Haruno Sakura." She says before turning back to from at her phone.

"I'm Tenten," another girl says. She has twin Chinese buns and warm brown eyes. She has large basketball shorts visibly hanging under her skirt and a men's blazer atop of her blouse. She gives a wide grin as she cocks her head to the side, "Hey you kinda look like-

"Sorry I'm late," A tall lean man walks up to the table. "Gai-sensei held me up. Anyway, who's this…"

His sentence trails off as eyes identical to his widen at the sight of him. He stills, straight brown hair falling around him and he blinks several times as if what he was seeing wasn't real. "Hinata…"

Hinata is quiet. His name is on her lips but they die out as if she doesn't have the voice to speak them. She's suddenly glad she's sitting down because it seems to her that her beloved cousin- a brother to her has come back to life.

_He was alive all this time?_

**A/N: Hehe cliffy!**

**Whoops I may have accidently made Sakura a bitch in this fic. I've looked back on my plot outline and realized she's become a sort of minor antagonist.(Just for a few chapters) I don't hate her though; she's actually one of my favorite characters. (Surprise, surprise!)**

**Anyway! I want to thank my beta, AnnaliseIsmeneRomano and sticking with me through my horrible and grammar and laziness.**

**Ps- I just finished writing another chapter and I'm so excited to post it but it's like chapter 9 and you guys will just have to wait kskjlfjnrekjr.**

**(This once a week update isn't really working for me but I have to stay strong in order to space out updates finished chapters etc.)**


	5. four

**Chapter 4**

When Hinata was younger, she was easily frightened. She was scared of thunder storms, monsters in her closet, and demons under her bed. Usually she would run into her mother's room if was ever in need of comfort. But then after Hanabi was born, Hiashi has told her that she was too old for such nonsense, so she cried to herself alone in her room. The space in the bed between her parents was now taken by another tiny human being and Hinata was forced to face her fears alone. But this was before all the bad things started happening. Before a death, an addiction, and a terrible lie. No, this was a happy time.

So every night when she was scared she would go to Neji's room. Neji was her big strong brother- although he kept insisting that he was her cousin, Hinata continued to call him 'niisan.' And whenever she had nightmares of monsters and darkness, Neji would tell her stories of magical lands with princesses and dragons and instead of stories of how the prince would save the princess her told her that the princess learned how to fight all her demons and feared no one.

The stories pacified Hinata and she fell asleep feeling safe knowing that she could beat anyone would dare to stand in her way because she had people who loved her right behind her.

All of this changed when one-by-one, people she loved started leaving Hinata's life. Starting with the murder of uncle Hizashi, the departure of her mother, and ending with the 'death' of Hyuga Neji.

-.- -.- -.-

No one seems to notice Hinata's decent into the storm that is mind. They don't notice her stiffened posture or blank stare. They don't notice her quiet refusal to eat anything. Then again, they don't know much about her at all.

They notice Neji's change. Neji is usually quiet, but never completely silent. He usually looks cool and relaxed, but here he is tense; waiting.

Hinata seems to slowly sink into herself, her thoughts are like quicksand. The more she tries to shake them away the deeper engrossed she is.

Neji has been 'dead' for eight years now. Having 'died' when he was only ten from seizures, something apparently passed down from his father. Nobody suspected it wasn't the truth. Why would they? It was a closed-casket funeral with little people and a dark atmosphere. Her father spoke of Neji with the highest regards—what a great man he would've become.

It doesn't make sense why they were all deceived. Why had she been lied to? Her and Hanabi and everyone else who cared about Neji. It didn't make sense, _it doesn't make sense._

"Are you okay?" Ino puts a hand on her shoulder but Hinata shakes it off and stand abruptly.

"I just need some air."

Hinata darts out of the cafeteria like the place was set on fire. She holds her throbbing head in her hands for a while before sprinting down the hallway to some random destination. Vaguely, she realizes that this is not the smartest idea, it is her first day after all, and she doesn't know how to navigate the school.

She passes a sign written in black permanent marker on the wall that says Hebi, Hinata pays it no mind and flies down the hallway into an empty classroom. She tries to make herself calm down and tries to sort out the mess in her head. Too much weird stuff is going on but the Neji thing completely throws her off balance. To top it all off, he looked like he'd never seen her in her life.

Hinata buries her head in her hands and keeps tearing at her hair, it's a wonder it doesn't all fall out. Her head is aching and she figures she would've been better off going to the nurse's office...if only she knew where it was. When she looks up she sees a smirking purple eyed boy from earlier.

All thoughts of Neji vanish as her heart seems to ram painfully against her ribs. She stands from her chair only to be backed up against the wall. Her eyes widen frightfully, but she tells her self to stand up straight and not show fear.

It doesn't work.

"A-Ano..I-I never got to apologize f-for earlier…."

"It's fine," He shrugs and goes to put his hands against the wall and next to her like he did at their first meeting, trying to trap her. Hinata remembers this from earlier and quickly twist away from her position against the wall before his other hand can even touch it. She makes a bee-line for the door when two males she doesn't recognize walked into the room.

Suigetsu turns and gives her a sharp-tooth grin, "I don't forgive you yet, but I have a feeling you'll be making it up to me real soon."

Hinata weighs her options. On one hand, she could be rash and try to run out of the room and hope to escape them-but being rash is what got her into the situation in the first place. On the other hand she could talk them out of it…but she can't exactly find her voice right now. Her only other option is to try to fight them all off. Even if she mastered two martial arts styles, it would be hard to take on three people, not even including the fast that she has a sprained wrist.

"O-okay…" Hinata combs her fingers through her hair, for the most part hiding her face. "H-how may I gain your f-forgiveness?"

Suigetsu's grin is wide but his eyes regard her with disbelief. He watches her shift under his glare, he watches the position of her feet, one forward one back.

The ex-heiress shifts towards the door, and before Suigetsu can blink, she's bringing her arm back and punching his guy in the nose. Suigetsu blinks again the the girl is gone, having run out the door the second his attention was diverted.

Suddenly scaring the new girl isn't a simple prank; he might actually enjoy this game she's just unknowingly started.

-:- -:- -:-

"Where'd Hinata go?" Kiba asks, bringing the group's attention to himself as he takes a bite of his sandwich and looks towards the direction that Hinata just disappeared to.

"She said she needed some air…" Ino's voice laces with concern, "Someone should've gone with her. She doesn't know how this school works yet, she could get into some serious troub-"

Ino cuts herself off when Neji stands abruptly, knocking over his chair. Everyone watches, confused, as his long legs quickly walk across the cafeteria and towards the direction of the other Hyuga.

"Okay, what the hell?" Sakura says, finally putting down her cell phone and glaring at the spot the two Hyugas disappeared to. "What's going on?"

Shikamaru slowly sits up and props his elbow on the table, his head resting on the palm of his hand, "They're cousins." He says through a yawn.

"Cousins?" Naruto echoes.

"Cousins." Tenten confirms, "How could I forget? He always talks about missing her. That has to me her."

Kiba facepalms, muttering 'stupid' in his hand for not realizing sooner.

"Because their last names are both Hyuga!" Naruto looks proud of his discovery, he grins like he just put together a million piece Jigsaw puzzle.

Everyone stares at him and his grin falters.

"Whaaat?"

"He's seriously our co-leader?" Kiba bites out bitterly.

"Show some respect for your superior Inuzuka!" Naruto yells across the table.

"At least we have Sasuke," Sakura mentions and thwacks Naruto on the side of the head, "Stop yelling in my ear already, are you trying make me go deaf?!"

Tenten snorts at the pink haired girl, "You're just giving him brain damage."

Shikamaru puts his head back down, ignoring the group's bickering and returning to his nap.

"-Anyway," Ino speaks up eager for details from anyone who has them, "What was the big scene about. They're cousins right? Shouldn't they hug or something?"

"Neji told me that he ran away ten years ago," Rock Lee says solemnly, "He has not seen the beautiful Hinata since."

-:- -:- -:-

Hinata hadn't wanted to hurt anyone, but punching the guy has been a last minute decision. It worked though; you can almost say that she killed two birds with one stone. She managed to get the guy out her way (She feels bad for punching the guy and she doesn't even know his name!) and distract Suigetsu long enough for her to bolt out of the room and down the hallway.

Now she's sprinting down some random hallway. She's already tried to get back to the cafeteria, but obviously that mission didn't end in success. After a while she has to stop to catch her breath and collect her thoughts.

Why exactly is she running? It hasn't processed in her mind _why_ Suigetsu is chasing her other than pretty revenge. She doesn't understand how a miniscule event from the morning could cause a person to go as far as corner her in a classroom.

Maybe she should right a list about every crazy thing and _person_ she's encountered so far at this school.

"It's a pride thing." A voice says.

Hinata looks up quickly to see that Suigetsu had caught up with her. His breathing was ragged as he came to stand in front of her, "Man girly you run fast, ever considered joining the track team?"

"W-What's a pride thing?" Hinata cannot help but ask. It's such a random thing to say when approaching a person you most likely want to harm.

"Why I'm chasing you." He elaborates. "At first it started as a pride thing. I mean you kicked me without a second thought." An expression of anger crosses his face, it reminds her of Deidara's dangerous expression from earlier. She figures that everyone that this school is just bat-shit-crazy. She moves back reflexively. "Then it became a game. After you punched my friend back there and ran away…I decided I could use you."

"U-use me?" His face is suddenly very close to hers. She fidgets under him, wanting to press her fingers together and crawl into a hole and die. And why is this hallway so empty, at least _one_ teacher or _someone_ should've passes them by now.

"Yes, use you. You'd make a great addiction for my gang….among…other things." He looks down at her first with a pensive expression, "But first...who are you associated with?"

"Associated w-with?" Now Hinata is utterly confused.

Suigetsu's expression turns annoyed, "Yes. Stop repeating everything I say. What. Gang. Are you with?"

There's that word 's eyes widen at the word gang. She's never come in contact with any, let alone anyone who wanted her to _join._ If everything she's heard about gangs is true, she wants nothing to do with any of it. Besides that, why would he want _her_ of all people, and why does he assume she's already in one?

"Are you going to give me an answer?" He looks at her expectantly.

"I'm not with anyone..."

"Are you sure? I've seen you with the Leaf."

At this point, Hinata is beyond confused. "I'm...p-positive."

"Good," His expression changes again to one of confidence, "So join mine."

She doesn't even open her mouth to answer, she's much too concerned with the fact that he's much too close. She presses her back firmly against the locker behind her and locks her eyes with his, "N-no."

"Excuse me?"

And then a fist comes flying from the left and hits Suigetsu squarely in the cheek. He immediately crumbles to the ground. Hinata first glances at him and then up to the offending person.

"Neji-niisan." She greets her cousin with hesitation. "You're alive."

And then she faints.

-:- -:- -:-

"You still have that habit..." Neji says as his cousin wakes, his smile is hesitant, "Fainting."

He watches his cousin blink at him, her legs untangling themselves from the blanket around her, she says, "You were dead..."

That again. At first Neji thought that her saying 'you're alive' was just relief that he found safety after he ran away. But now she's repeating it like he had actually _died_ or something. The Hyuga genius is not often confused, but this is an exception. "Hinata-I-"

"Otousan said that you died. You had a seizure, while crossing the street coming home from school. A car hit you. You died."

Brown hair pools around his face as he looks at his cousin, the girls, in all her right, looks like she is walking on another planet. Her confusion seems to be contagious.

"I-that- that never happened..." Neji is usually exceptional with words, but now he seems to be at a loss.

"Obviously." The remarks slips past her lips before she can stop them. She's never been known to be sarcastic or sassy but the day's events have really gotten to her. Like the fact that her cousin-who-really-isn't-dead has taken her to his apartment and has caused her to miss her last three classes _on her first day! _"I've been lied to. It's a rather extreme like, don't you think?"

Neji has to sit down. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wonders where his little adorable stuttering cousin went.

"-And do you still hate me? That went on for six years, around the time my mother left- she's still a drunk by the way- you know back then I expected to have someone on my side but you suddenly started to resent me."

She's hysterical, he realizes. "Hinata please."

"And then, and _then_ on the first day of school there's some guy who- I don't know- he either wants to kill me or rape me or make me join his _gang_ or something! And why was he talking about a leaf? Am I associated with a leaf-what leaf-I don't even-"

She's silenced when Neji pulls her against him in a hug. She hadn't realized that that was what she needed all along. Some comfort and warmth can do wonders especially since it's really hard to gain some ground in a new place when you have no idea where to put your feet.

Her fingers clutch to his shirt and tears finally surface like the flood gates have been opened. "Niisan, I have no idea w-what to do-I don't even know what's going on in this place."

He's never been big on affection or comforting people, being raised by stoic Hyugas, but he tries his best. He feels as if he has eight years to make up for when he wasn't there for her, so he rubs her back and mutters, "I know, I know. It'll be fine." Over and over again, like his father used to do for him when he was a child.

It must've worked because she quiets and eventually falls asleep.

**-:- -:- -:-**

There's a storm raging around in Neji's mind and it isn't pleasant. He paces around his apartment, back and forth, wall to wall. His train of thoughts is constant, filled with the same unanswered questions. He's going around in circles, literally and figuratively.

Like, why is Hinata here in the first place? Why isn't she with her father? And what did Suigetsu _want_ with his cousin? And most importantly, why did she think he was dead?

"Knock knock," A voice comes from outside his door. Before he can move to open it, the door springs open revealing Tenten.

"Tenten-"

"I know, I know. Now is not a good time." The shorter brunette peers over his shoulder at the girl sleeping on this couch. "-Hey, is she okay? You guys didn't come back after lunch so we were worried."

Neji sighs deeply, "I'll tell you what's up at the meeting tonight. Right now, Hinata and I have a lot of talk about. Too much-really."

"Alright," Tenten replies, brown eyes swimming in concern, "Anyway, this is the homework from your last three classes. I thought you'd want it." She purses her lips then pouts, "Damn. I didn't think to get Hinata's though..."

"It's fine," He replied, he gives his closest friend a rare smile, "Thank you Tenten."

He receives a blinding smile in return, "No biggie."

-:- -:- -:-

"What should we talk about first?" Neji asks awkwardly, he pours a cup of Jasmine tea and hands it to the ex-heiress sitting across from him.

"W-why did you hate me?"

The question catches him off guard. It is true; Neji had resent Hinata during his adolescence. Just after his father died. He hated that she had two parents and he had none, even if that changed when her mother left. He hated that his uncle always put him second to Hinata even thought he was always so much _better._ At everything, school, martial arts, even learning the family business. He would've made a better heir than she could ever be, but he was never acknowledged.

"I was jealous. It started when my father died, but as the anger kept growing in me so did the jealously and hate. It was misdirected, you weren't the real target- or at least you shouldn't have been. It was your father who I really resented."

Hinata seems to take this in, she peaks at him from behind her hair, "So...you don't hate me anymore?"

"No. I'm sorry...for everything."

Hinata nods and gives him a genuine smile, "I'll get over it. After all, we're family."

Neji nods, not wanting to get too sentimental, he continues, "What next?"

"W-what about...where did you go? Otousan said you were dead b-but what really happened?"

"I was running away after I heard something I shouldn't have." The look on Neji's face says that he won't be answering any questions on what exactly he heard."Maybe I'll explain later. But anyway, Hiashi caught me eavesdropping as I was leaving. He told me not to tell anyone. I told them that I was leaving anyway and he told me to never come back. Well...his exact words were, 'good, don't ever come back, I have no use for you unless you want to go down the same path as your father.'"

Hinata gaps at him, "But why did he s-say-"

"It's an appearance thing. A big famous business man like himself is going to get noticed. He didn't want to look bad saying his nephew ran away- or maybe he was protecting me in a weird way considering the circumstances...but I doubt it. A lot happened that night."

_So many secrets_, Hinata thinks. She still does not know the 'circumstances' of that night nor does she know what Neji overheard. She thinks her head is about to explode from all the new information she's been given.

"Tell me about school...and Suigetsu."

Neji takes a deep breath, at least they finally moved on to a semi lighter topic. "The school...WKP is composed of gangs-I know, it's weird. It started off as a defense mechanism against the real street gangs, Hebi, Cloud, Akatsuki, Leaf and Suna. Those are the big ones. They aren't usually concerned with minor and petty things that go on at the school-well except Hebi, they're a minor street gang anyway..." Neji stops to allow Hinata to process all of this new information.

"So, like, the yellow bandanas on peoples arms...are a symbol of a school gang," Hinata recalls.

Neji nods, urging her to ask more questions if need be.

"What are these school gangs even for?"

"Some kid started it out for 'fun.' They were too scared of the real gangs so they started their own ones for protection. Started spray painting the school and marking their 'territory.' It's pretty stupid, but it got out of hand. Too many people started taking it seriously and then the whole school was fighting," He shakes his head but there was a small smirk of superiority on his face, "Idiots." Then he sighs loudly, "It's really annoying but the only people who even attempt to bother us at school are the street gangs. And usually that's dealt with...well on the streets."

Something seems to click in her mind and she stares at Neji with wide eyes, "You're...you're apart of the Leaf..."

The look of superiority returns and he grins and says, "I am."

And suddenly things just started to make sense.

**A/N: Wah! I wanted to make sure to update before I leave the house. I usually look through chapters right before I publish them one more time to make sure that there are no errors but I'm rushing today!**

**Anyway I hope you enjoy. Please review annnnnnd Sasuke in the next chapter! Yay!**


	6. five

"_I believe that I understand gangs better than others. Because they're formed out of necessity. They're formed by people to keep from being suppressed."_

-Jack Bowman

**Chapter 5**

Rain pours down the windshield as Uchiha Sasuke slides into the front seat of the sleek black car. He grunts, pushing up the dark cotton sleeves of his shirt and sticking the key into the ignition.

"Naruto." He speaks into his earpiece hidden underneath dark hair. "Are you pulling out?"

_"Yep!"_ Naruto confirms, in that loud voice of his, Sasuke winces as the sound beats against his tender eardrum. "_Uh…where are we meeting again?"_

Sasuke allows a sigh as he runs a red light and takes a sharp turn, "The alley behind Yoko's Delicious Dango and that fruit market."

_"….What street is Yoko's on again?"_

Sasuke tries not to let his aggravation show, he hits the break at the next red light as there's a cop across the street. He doesn't need to be pursued right now. "Nagahashi Street. South. You_ do_ have the briefcase right? Or did you forget that too?"

_"I have it I have it!"_ Naruto exclaims into his ear once again._ "I would never forget_ the stuff_!"_  
Sasuke grimaces at that relative term. 'The stuff.' They're not in some bad action movie, Naruto can just say cocaine, it's not that hard. He glares out the window and at the rearview window; he can just make out Naruto's obnoxious orange car behind him. If he were ever chased by the police, they wouldn't have a hard time keep up with something a color that loud._ Idiot_, Sasuke thinks as he turns obsidian eyes back to the road.

_"Sellin' it for half a mil, right teme?"_ Comes Naruto's voice once again. Sasuke is considering hanging up on the moron but Naruto_ does_ need to know what's going on. Even if it was already explained five times over.

"Hn." Sasuke grunts; yes. He jerks the wheel sharply to the left and narrowly avoids a collision. The person in the car he almost hit honks their horn angrily and is yelling obscurities out his window that Sasuke can't even hear.

_"Where did we even get all this crack?_"

It's a fair question; the Uchiha doesn't feel like explaining it to his partner though. Shino and Kiba managed to 'convince' some other random thugs to give it up in return for their lives. The idiots had trespassed onto The Leaf's turf thinking they could get a good fight and knock some heads. Unfortunately and fortunately (depending on how you look at it) The Leaf hosts some of the strongest fighters in the city, they beat the thugs and set up a compromise.

It's not like Naruto allows him to even try to answer the question, he babbles on about other things like the weather and what the gang is going to do with all the money they're about to receive.

"Naruto."

_"Huh?"_

"Shut the fuck up."

Sasuke jams his finger into the end button on his cell phone, successfully ridding himself of the annoying blonde's voice. His fingers reflexively tighten on the steering wheel as he makes the next turn towards the alley. It's the only sign of his apprehension, most people wouldn't notice the tension. Something about this meeting doesn't feel right.

He pulls into a tight space between two buildings and throws on a pair of dark sunglasses. Before exiting the car Sasuke looks around him, his car is parked by a brick wall with another across from them, he's not boxed in despite the fact that there's a dead-end ahead, he can always escape by going backwards. His eyes pass over the silver vehicle parked across from him, two tall dark haired men are leaning on it, looking at his car. They have their own briefcase beside them. Sasuke pauses to look for any weapon concealment or bulges in pockets or anything. The Uchiha doesn't find any but he reaches under his seat anyway and produces a small semi-automatic handgun. He puts it inside his jacket pocket and steps out the car.

"Yo."

The two guys leaning against the silver car straighten slightly and looks over Sasuke casually, "You got our stuff?"

Sasuke's head tilts to the left at the place his partner should've parked seconds ago. Inwardly, Sasuke sighs and damns the idiot to the deepest part of hell. J_ust where the hell is he? He was trailing me two seconds ago..._ Sasuke remains cool though, he shrugs and says, "It's on the way."

"Look Uchiha, we're not playing games here." The taller one with red hair states, he produces a small knife from his pockets. "Just give us what we came here for."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow at the small knife, he almost snorts out loud, "I assure you I'm not playing any game."

"Drop the fucking act, Uchiha. Just give us our shit." The second guy snaps, he spits on the ground and shoves his partner out the way.

"Yo teme!" An obnoxious voice calls, "Sorry I'm late, I-"

"Don't care, dobe. Just hurry up." Sasuke snaps, losing all of his 'cool' as he sets his eyes on his blonde haired best friend.

Naruto walks up to stand beside his partner and grins widely at the gang members across from them like it's some happy fucking reunion and they're not trading illegal goods.

"Give us the crack first, we'll hand you the money."

Naruto shakes his head, "_Nooo._ We trade at the same time, no tricks."

Sasuke has to roll his eyes. The two men step up to do the trade, Naruto wearing his signature 'No bull-shit face' while the other guy just looks constipated.

Now Sasuke has thought through the plan and the trade ten times over, so it would be an understatement to say that he's surprised to find a gun being pressed against his skull two seconds later.

"Give us the drugs, fox-boy, or this bastard gets his brains blown out."

There's a beat of silence.

Sasuke allows a dry smirk to cross his features.

"Why the hell are you smirking, Uchiha?" The guy across from Naruto says as he goes to rip the briefcase from Naruto's grip, "You're outnumbered. Four against two." He gestures to the two men suddenly standing behind Sasuke.

"Hey teme," Naruto calls from his position, "I think we were just tricked."

"Hn." Sasuke agrees, rolling his eyes once again. His smirk is still in place, but he's silently seething. How dare anyone trick_ him?_ Sasuke fucking Uchiha. The thug holding the gun to his head shifts uncomfortably. "Well, Naruto, jokes on them right? That's only half the coke we promised them."

"Huh?"

"You tried to trick us?" The red-headed one fumes, he brings out a gun and points it at the Uchiha.

"Does that mean we're even now? We tried to trick_ each other_." Naruto says from across the alley. Sasuke can't see him, but he's sure the moron is grinning stupidly at dealers.

"No!" The red-headed one says-Sasuke assumes he's the leader. He raises the weapon once again and points it right at Sasuke.

A gun shot rings through the air.

The three thugs surrounding the Uchiha turn towards the sound, the feeling of the gun pressed against his cranium leaves him. As all this happens, Sasuke swiftly retrieves his gun from his jacket and hits the one thug- the one who had the nerve to put a gun to his head- against the back of his neck with the butt of his gun.

"Naruto, get the-"

"Got it, teme!" Naruto shouts waving a shiny black gun in the air as he dives for the second case, presumably filled with money.

Sasuke nods, and successfully knocking the second thug out, kicks the two discarded guns across the alley.

The angry red head aims his gun at Sasuke's head, but it's knocked out of the grip when Sasuke kicks his leg up. The red head changes tactics and charges at Sasuke head on, and halfway there, he pulls out another gun and fires it without a second thought.

"_Shit_." Sasuke growls out, he drops to one knee as his left arm begins to gush with blood. Sharp pain shoots up his arm, but the pain is dimmed due to the adrenalin running through his system.

He quickly jumps back up and knocks the gun from the other guy's hand.  
"Teme-"

"I'm fine Naruto," Sasuke stands and slings his good arm out to catch the redhead in the jaw. He knocks backwards a few inches before Sasuke catches him again in the stomach.

"That's great and all but you need to catch this brief case so we can get the fuck out of here." Naruto yells, generally unconcerned about Sasuke's gun wound. He tosses one of them to Sasuke and hits the other thug over the head with the other one. "I can hear the cops on their way."

Sasuke nods, catching the black case with his good arm, he surveys the damage. Three guys knocked un-conscious, one of which with a leg wound, the red head is fine, with a couple cuts and bruises- playing opossum by his car.

"Take the guns?" Naruto asks, Sasuke shakes his head and Naruto continues on his way, casually walking back to his orange car with the money, "What was that all about anyway? I know it was a set up and all-"

"Can we talk about this later?" Sasuke' voice comes out pinched and annoyed. He tosses the gun and drugs in the back seat and takes off his white T-shirt. He sits shirtless in his car as he wraps the bloody shirt around his left upper bicep. He can hear the cop cars closer now, he gives his key a sharp twist and the engine springs to life.

"You stoppin' at the hospital?" He can hear Naruto yell out his window as he pulls out.

"No." Sasuke replies, waiting for Naruto to move his car, there's only one way out of that alley. "Sakura can fix me up."

Finally he's back on the main streets of Konoha, and Uchiha is grinding his teeth together, wincing in pain as the adrenalin fades from his system and is replaced pain shooting up his arm. With his left arm hanging limply at his side he makes a sharp left turn using his one good arm.

Deciding against going to the gang head-quarters, hideout, meeting place- whatever the hell you wanted to call it, Sasuke makes his way back to Naruto and his shared apartment since it's the closest. He makes a quick call to Sakura to tell her and whoever else she can gather to meet them there in less than ten minutes.

-:- -:- -:-

"So...What happened?" Sakura questions. She sits in their living room with Sasuke, Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Tenten. She sits Sasuke down on the checkered couch, slightly blushing at his shirtless frame, with her medical kit sitting beside her. Sasuke hisses and glares at the pink haired girl as she tries to sterilize the wound.

"The bullet didn't hit any major arteries or tear any muscles," Sakura says aloud as she examines his arm, "Good thing you didn't lose too much blood...you should really be more careful though, Sasuke."

He grunts in response and tries not to let his displeasure show as Sakura begins to dig the bullet from his skin.

Sakura is surprisingly skilled in the medical area with only being seventeen. She once had a mentor who taught her everything she knows, that and going to classes when she was younger. But that was when she had the money and opportunity to do all that, so now she sticks to reading books from the library if she really wants to learn anything.

Kiba snorts and spreads out on the floor, hands behind his head and feet flopped atop of the coffee table, "Telling Sasuke to be more careful is like trying to catch smoke."

"Nice simile," Tenten nudges him with the toe of her boot, "Please don't make any more."

"Alright," Shikamaru and Naruto return from the kitchen and sit on the other couch, "Tell me what happened," Shikamaru says.

Sasuke lets Naruto explain as Sakura continues to work on his arm. In his opinion, Sakura looks too happy to be so close to him, and he swears that he saw her reaching out to touch his uncovered chest more than once. She makes quick work, stitching him up and wrapping bandages around the wound, quietly explaining what he should and shouldn't do until he's fully healed—everything he's heard before.

"Alright so..." Shikamaru processes the information, "You guys were-"

"Set up! Those assholes set you up!" Kiba exclaims sitting up.

"...Probably an attempt to either take the coke without paying or an attempt to kill you. I'm guessing it was the latter."

"Who are they working for?" Tenten sits up as well, her eyes narrow as she thinks. "Do you guys know?"

Sasuke doesn't reply as he glares at the wall, Sakura places two painkillers into the palm of his hand. Naruto shakes his head, no, they have no idea who they're working for.

"Okayy," the pineapple haired genius hums, "Who set up the trade?"

"That was Neji," Tenten responds, "I was with him at the HQ when he made the call to some dealers that decided to partner with us...said they had some guys who would take the load off us for a half a mil."

"I'll go over and talk to him about it later," Sasuke says. He stands before anyone can protest, the Uchiha is furious that someone had the nerve to set them up and attempt to_ kill_ him—even if he knows that The Leaf is one of those gangs that everyone loves to hate, and he's the member they love to hate the most. "Kiba, take those briefcases to the HQ, put 'em in the safe. Tenten go with him for backup."

They nod at the orders and immediately stand, grab the cases by the couch, and exit the building.  
Sasuke spares Sakura, Naruto, and Shikamaru a glance before turning down the hallway to his room. He collapses on his bed and attempts to take a much needed nap.

-:- -:- -:-

Hinata is not used to being dragged from her bed and waking up to her face meeting the cold floor, but she's learned that this new place is full of surprises.

Hinata lets out a high pitched squeak as her body hits the ground and the covers are thrown off of her. She blinks up owlishly at the offending person.

"Hinata- honestly, who goes to sleep at four in the afternoon?"

"Ino?" Hinata continues to blink at her. She rubs at her eyes cutely, "I was taking a nap since I had nothing better to do..."

"Well, get up. We're going to my house to talk about what happened that day last week when you and Neji left school early. You never told me about what happened!"

A week has passed since Hinata's first day of school. The rest of the week went smoothly as it could, she stuck close to Neji and The Leaf and no one bothered her (much.) She tried to keep a low profile among all the other students there. She'd also finally visited her doctor and got that dreadful cast off. All in all, the week was uneventful and simple, the way she wanted it.

"Alright Ino," Hinata sighs, she's known the girl for a little more than a week and she already knows about her gossipy nosy attitude. "But can we just stay here in my room? It's so much easier..."

"Yeah yeah," Ino says excitedly, she sits on Hinata's bed and smiles attentively. "I'm all ears."

Hinata yawns and climbs back onto her warm bed, pulling her covers up with her. She explains to Ino everything that went down that Monday. She has to pause every couple of seconds to let Ino take in the all the information and ask her questions. When the Hyuga girl finishes, Ino is wide-eyed and unbelieving.

"No offence Hinata, but your dad is an asshole."

Hinata sighs but nods in agreement, "Yeah, I can't believe he would make up such a lie." She collapses back on her bed.

Ino hums in agreement before hopping off Hinata's bed, "Come on! You're bringing dinner to Neji right? I'll help you."

-:- -:- -:-

After Ino leaves, Hinata makes her way to her long-lost-cousin's apartment. It's not too far away, only a couple blocks away. She tucks the box of food under her arm and walks briskly against the cold.

She and Ino had surprisingly prepared a lot of food, mostly because they were bored. Hinata is bringing Neji roasted fish, wasabi, and onigiri.

Five minutes later she reaches Neji's apartment, she rings the doorbell tentatively.  
"Hey," Neji says, opening his door widely, "I appreciate you bringing me food. My cooking skill hasn't exactly improved."

Hinata giggles to herself, remembering that Neji had never been the best cook, "No problem Neji-niisan," She passes him in the doorway to go to the kitchen, "I'll just heat this up-are you leaving?" She questions as she sees him shrugging on on a jacket and a scarf.

"Yeah, Naruto called me, they need me at headquarters or something." Neji answers, "I should be back soon. You can just hang out here if you want."

Hinata nods and goes back into Neji's tiny kitchen. She didn't eat before she came here so she decides to make herself a plate, "See you later!" She calls, seconds later she hears the door slam shut.

She grabs the red plate and loads food onto it, she hums as she puts it in the microwave, pressing the buttons for the appropriate time.

Right as the microwave starts beeping, telling her that the food is ready, she hears the door burst open.

The ex-heiress leaves the kitchen to go to the living room, "Neji you're back already..." She trails off as she turns to the hallway. She opens her mouth to greet him as she enters the living room, but then she snaps it shut.

'Cause that's not Neji.

Dark eyes, _too _dark eyes. Not as in color; as in emotion.

Maybe that's why she doesn't recognize him at first.

"What the fuck are _you _doing here?"

Her mind is racing because she's trying to remember who this guy is. He's vaguely familiar but...  
And then it clicks.

He's Uchiha Sasuke; a childhood friend.

When did his eyes become so full of hate?

It's scary to think how people change.

**A/N:**

_**Edit: new spacing.**_

**DUH DUH DUH DUNNN**

**I leave with a cliffy. Mehehehehe.**

**Anyway, review please!**


	7. six

"_The biggest mistake you can make is to drift from someone you once had the time of your life with."_

-Unknown

**Chapter 6**

He acts like he does not remember her.

She remembers him, of course. A childhood friend, her _best_ friend. Their families did a lot of business negotiations and became something like partners. Their fathers were always together making deals and discussing the market while their mothers got together and gossiped. That left Sasuke, Hinata, Itachi, and Neji to their own devices.

Neji didn't like any of the Uchihas and would go away to read. Itachi didn't come often but when he did he would humor Hinata and his brother a little before joining his father in the meeting room. That left young Sasuke and Hinata alone to entertain each other.

Hinata remembers hiding behind her mother when she first met Sasuke, he was a shy and happy child just as she was. He had blushed and gave her a yellow crayon, saying that she reminded him of the sun.

They were forced together many times after that. Being of the upper-class, they both were obliged to attend balls, teas, and other upstanding social events that they both resented. Being children, they did not have many duties, just to be polite and _seen and not heard._ This often wasn't fulfilled when Hinata was with Sasuke. They both got into quite a bit of trouble together. He had been there for her when her mother left and when her uncle was murdered. During tough times, her father's merciless training, and near-impossible-to-win tournaments, Sasuke became her rock.

And then, when Sasuke was around 9, tragedy struck. It made the headlines of every paper; it was the top story on the news across the country. "_Uchiha Massacre." "Whole Family Dead." "One Survivor." "Where is Itachi?" " 9-Year-Old Boy Robbed of His Family." _Those are only a few of the gruesome headlines Hinata can remember.

The last time Hinata saw Sasuke was at the funeral, but she wasn't able to talk to him or hug him. She was ordered to remain next to her father.

And just like that another person in Hinata's life disappeared.

She didn't blame him though. She still doesn't. Of course she doesn't. She _can't._  
"S-Sasuke..." She trembles. All of these ghosts are returning. Her mother, Neji, and now Sasuke. The people who have left are suddenly back in her life. She should be happy, she should be weeping, and she should be apologizing. She's shaking instead.

"Who are you?" He spits out, but his eyes flash in recognition. He can't help but recognize his childhood friend, Hinata. He notices that she has filled out nicely, and grew out her hair. Sasuke admits that she had become quite beautiful.

He watches her eyes flicker across his face and body, seemingly taking in every detail, and then returning to his eyes. She holds his gaze. "Y-you know me." She is hesitant.

Sasuke takes this weakness and throws it back in her face, "Are you sure? You don't seem very confident to me."

"I'm sure." She says, "Don't p-pretend like you don't remember me!"

Sasuke turns away from her, "What are you doing in Neji's apartment? Where is he anyway?"  
"N-Naruto called. 'Said to meet him at Head Quarters..." Hinata trials off, wanting to get back to the subject at hand, "Sasuke, y-you can't keep this up."

He walks towards the door; he really does not want to deal with this right now. Neji should have told him the girl was around. He should be happy to see her, but her face just reminds her of his past. His past that he tries so hard to forget. And, sure, he's missed her, but he's also managed to forget her. He was content with not thinking about her, thinking about her always lead to thinking about his family.

Her voice is desperate and he doesn't really understand why she's so desperate for him to 'remember' her, he continues on his way to the door.

Then her hands are on him, turning him towards her, her eyes are filled with unleashed tears, "What the fuck do you _want_, Hinata?" Sasuke says, finally acknowledging that yes, he does remember her, but no, he does not want to talk to her.

Her hand reaches to touch his face but he slaps it away with annoyance, _what is with this woman?_ He manages to think. "What?" He says again.

"I'm sorry," She blubbers, "I never got to say I'm sorry...at the funeral and after-when you left-"  
Now she's just reopening closed wounds- with reminds him, her hands are pressing tightly against his gun wound, he shoves her off of him roughly, "I don't need your pity.

"  
"No one is pitying you, Sasuke!" Hinata yells, she wonders when this escalated to some huge argument. "I'm apologizing."

Sasuke is so confused by this girl, his old friend, "What exactly are you apologizing for?" He isn't sure he wants to hear the answer.

"I -I wasn't there for you. When everything was happening with me, you were my rock. And-and I promised that I'd b-be there for you. Remember? But..." She takes a deep breath, "I wasn't there for you. I c-couldn't be your rock. I-"

"Stop."

She stops.

He walks out of Neji's apartment.

He really hadn't wanted to hear her answer.

-:- -:- -:-

"Hinata should join The Leaf. Like officially," Ino says the next day at lunch. They're all sitting around the lunch table having scattered conversation when they all quiet to stare at Ino, "What? Joining a gang means protection at this school..."

"Yeah!" Kiba agrees, he knocks his shoulder into hers good naturedly, "She'd be an awesome addition."

"Ano.." Hinata has never thought about joining their gang. She's never even thought that they would want her to join, but she watches several heads begin to nod around the table. She blushes.

"I don't mind," Shino says, "She spends enough time around us, I'm sure people already think that she's in."

"No." Someone says, they all turn to stare at Sakura who's glaring at Hinata. "She wouldn't survive. Look at her," She makes some sort of dismissing gesture, "This isn't some fun little game, Hyuga.

"I am inclined to agree with Sakura," Sasuke says, not looking at Hinata. They've been avoiding each other all day...it's hard because they have four classes together plus lunch. "I don't think she has what it takes."

"Um, I h-haven't asked to j-join.." Hinata feels as if it's necessary to tell them this, as they are acting like she _really_ actually wants to join.

"We should discuss this later," Naruto says, he's grinning widely at Hinata and she has a feeling he wants her to join as well. Her stomach sinks at the thought. "You never know who could be listening," He tilts his head to the left towards the direction Suigetsu's table is seated.

-:- -:- -:-

After school, Hinata is dragged to Ino's car with Tenten. Neji protests but he is ignored as Hinata is shoved into the red car.

"This is my baby," Ino tells her, patting the hood of the sleek red car, "I just had a V-8 engine installed and-"

"Ino, the girl has no idea what you're talking about," Tenten tells her, jumping into the back seat. "And neither do I."

Ino huffs at the two girls and starts the car. It takes ten minutes to get to Sasuke and Naruto's apartment from there so they fill the silence by turning up the radio.

Sasuke and Naruto's apartment isn't luxurious by a long shot. It's a bit small and feels even more cramped with all the gang members there. They usually meet at the HQ but they can't take Hinata there unless she's a member. There's a small living room with two old couches and a leather arm chair (the furniture does not match) along with a flat screen TV mounted to the wall. The kitchen is even tinier all the appliances seem to be squashed into one place and there's hardly any counter space. There are three bedrooms down the hall, one of the doors id blank, there's another one with the name Naruto written across it(with crayon?) and the last one is spray painted black with random curse words and names written across it with chalk.

Hinata is told to wait in the spray-painted-door room while the gang discusses their decision on whether or not to let Hinata join. (She doesn't even want to join!) Apparently this room is for whoever wants to sleep over or doesn't have a place to stay; it's just an extra room so Naruto decided that anyone they know can stay there. It has two twin beds and an old tv, besides that, it's empty save for random articles of clothes, a box of pocky, and some old water damaged manga.

Hinata sits on one of the beds until Kiba comes to fetch her. She is told that most of the members agreed that Hinata should join-including Neji, who thinks being with them could protect her.  
"We need to know your decision by next week. If you choose not to join you can no longer associate with us." Sasuke tells her.

"Sasuke-" Someone protests but he glares at them.

"This isn't a joke, Hyuga. Think hard and well on whether or not you want to join. If you _do_ join, you have to be trained, I doubt you have much skill in any area,"

At this point, Hinata just glares openly at him. She's given up hope on ever being friends with him again. She doesn't even _want_ to be friends with him anymore.

"Lay off her, Sasuke," Naruto comments, "What did she ever do to you?"

Sasuke rolls his eyes, "Dobe. This isn't personal." Yes it is, "I hardly know her." Yes you do.

Hinata looks at her lap, her nails dig into her skin. He's...Sasuke is an _asshole._

"Anyway," Lee says, noticing the tension in the room, "What brings the youthful Hinata to this neighborhood?"

-:- -:- -:-

Sakura does not like Hyuga Hinata.  
She's not that special.

She was welcomed into their group with open arms, which Sakura couldn't _believe. _Some little rich spoiled brat? The girl actually thought she could survive the city? Sakura scoffs and rolls her eyes, _please._

And now the brat is sitting between Neji and _her _Sasuke. She's got them eating from the palm of her hand with her large doe eyes and cute stutter.

What a joke.

"S-Sakura, would you like something to d-drink as well?" Comes her too-sweet voice from her too-pouty lips with her too-annoying stutter.

"No thank you." Her voice is so sharp that it could cut diamonds. Sakura rolls her eyes once again at the girl before she crosses one leg over the other and her red-heel covered foot is moving up and down with her growing irritation.

Her foot continues to pump up and down as she watches the girl-_Hinata_- being regarded as a priceless glass doll.

Hinata begins to tell a sob story about why she's not with her rich daddy in the first place- Sakura just thinks that she's pathetic but the others seem to buy her story.

_Who does this bitch think she is?_

Sakura uncrosses her legs, stands up, and follows Hinata to the kitchen.

"Hinata...I'm so glad another girl has been added to our group!" The pinkett begins to gush. "I'm sorry...I didn't really introduce myself properly the other day...I'm Haruno Sakura." She outstretches her tan manicured hand.

Hinata doesn't hesitate when she shakes it but Sakura can she Hinata's eyes narrow at Sakura's sudden friendliness.

"Nice to meet to Sakura. I'm so happy to be making friends already!" Hinata tilts her head to the side and smiles in such a stupid way that Sakura wants to hit her. Hinata clasps the pinkett's hands and grins and says, "I hope we can go out together sometime, maybe we could even go shopping.

"  
Sakura's sure she wants to deck her, she begins to move her hands from the Hyuuga's grasp when something stops her.

The glint in the pale-eyed girl's eyes tells Sakura that she knows _exactly _what she's doing and exactly how Sakura feels about her. Hinata squeezes Sakura's hands and smiles brightly at her again.

"Oi! Hinata! I told you that you and Sakura would be great friends!" Naruto bursts into the kitchen with a smile.

"Of course!" The two girls say in union and then they both burst out into giggles like they've known each other forever.

Naruto grins, he's oblivious to the animosity between the two girls and puts his arms around their shoulders and leads them into the living room. Hinata blushes a cute cherry color and Sakura wants to barf. "Ne, Sakura, isn't Hinata so cute?" Naruto pinches her cheek.  
Sakura feels as if she's been pushed into some twisted nightmare.

"Definitely, she's so adorable. I can't wait 'til I can get my hands on her for when Ino and I go to the club." Hinata meets Sakura's jade eyes and they narrow.

_I can't wait 'til I can get my hands on her._

_I can't wait 'til I can rip my claws through her._

Sakura doesn't know when it happened, or why it happened; but suddenly, she and Hinata were rivals.

It's going to be fun.

Especially because Hinata isn't as dumb as she looks.

**A/N: Edit: New formatting. **

**aaah I wrote the little Sakura bit such a long time ago it doesn't seem to fit in anymore. Anyway some comments on Hinata's behavior there (to justify her OOCness); Hinata came across many 'fake' people when she was always going to social events with her father. It's something she hates but she can become equally as fake as Sakura was to her. Fake people generally piss her off.**

**As for Sakura, she's just generally bitchy in this fic, although I do like how I've chosen to portray her.**

**Anyway, double update this this week! Since its labor day I decided to update again.**

**In other news…Deidara next chapter yayyy, (Although all my reviewers seem Sasuke biased—I have no problem with that, (as I **_**have**_** put this fic in the SasuHina category) but is **_**anyone**_** rooting for Dei?)**

**Anwway, review! And have a nice Labor day! C:**


	8. seven

**Chapter 7**

"It seems that we have a mouse hiding among us." The tall dark figure says to his partner. He smirks viciously and drops the cigarette on the damp ground, he wastes no time smashing it with the toe of his expensive boot. Hinata quietly watches the red embers fade to black.

****The short one grabs her dark hair and Hinata squeaks indignantly. Her fingers curl and heart begins to beat rapidly in her chest as if it wants to escape and run away from her. "Squeaks like a mouse too," The man chuckles dryly, filling the quiet air with throaty cackles, and runs his grimy fingers through Hinata's hair , letting it fall, and then running his fingers through it again as if she is a pet. " So tell me girl, what are you? Some kinda of underground cop or somethin'?"

****Really, all Hinata wanted to do was find this art museum in the neighborhood. She had nothing to do this Saturday so she sought out the museum of 3D modern art. She was coming home when heard some...interesting information.

****Her father is selling Illegal weaponry and partakes in drug trafficking, apparently. She does not know how to feel about this new information. For now she is more concerned about how she's going to get out of this situation.

****Hinata winces and parts her lips to speak, she can't seem to form a complete sentence, let alone one word. "I-I-I'm n-n-"

****"What was that girly?" He pulls her face close to his. "Ya know what we do to people like you, huh?" Crooked yellow teeth shine in the light of the street lights high above; displaying a frightening grimace.

****"Ayame-chan!"

****A tall figure in a hooded jacket runs in their direction. He passes the two thugs and runs straight to Hinata and says again, "Ayame-chan, I've been looking for you everywhere, yeah! Where did you run off to?" His tone is full of dry amusement even though his words are concerned and worrisome.

****Despite the dangerous position Hinata is in, she's very confused. She's not even this Ayame person! "B-But who-" She mutters.

****The guy in the hood puts an arm around her that she assumes is supposed to be reassuring. He leans his head down close to her's and she catches a glimpse of eyes as blue as the ocean and as sly as a fox. His eyes shine with mischief and dry humor as he whispers in her ear, "Don't say a word." Then he lifts his head and says, "Sorry about my sister here." He smirks at them, "I'm sorry if she bothered you or if she overheard anything personal, un. It's fine, she's a retard."

****_What?!_

****And with those semi-reassuring words, the stranger leads Hinata away with an arm around her still-shaking form, it might of looked comforting but it's actually more like being trapped between a lion's jaws.

****She can't escape.

****In a way, she realizes that he saved her. If it wasn't for him...she'd still be with those two thugs. So she says, "Ah...arigatou..."

****"Heh...nobody said I was the good guy, un."

****Before she can chide herself for being an idiot one of the guys from earlier runs up and grabs Hinata's arm. He yanks her back and says, "No..she's going with us."

****Something dangerous flashes in the blonde man's eyes. He reaches across Hinata and grabs the offending person's collar. "I don't have time for this. Get lost." Then he gives the man in hard shove to the chest and he stumbles back a few paces.

****The man then clutches Hinata's wrist and pulls her around the corner and towards 24 hour coffee shop. He sits her in the chair across from him and drops his hood to reveal a mess of blonde hair and two dark eyeliner framed blue eyes.

****"H-hey aren't you-"

****"Ino's cousin? Yeah, un."

****"Why d-did you-"

****"You should be more careful, yeah." He cuts her off again and leans against the back of his chair. It leans dangerously on its two back legs but he doesn't seem to mind. He looks over her with a curious but dangerous glint in his aqua eyes. His eyes have no bounds and roam over her body. She blushes as she notices his roaming eyes and then they meet her gaze.

****"So...you with The Leaf?" He asks finally while waving over the blonde waitress with the small waist, he winks at her before turning back towards the Hyuuga. "'Cause if you are...I'll probably have to kill you, yeah."

****"T-The Leaf?" She opts out on pretending that she knows nothing, because his words make her shiver.

****"What you don't know, un?" He raises an eyebrow and brings a cigarette out of his jean pocket, he lights it and brings it to his lips before asking if she would like one. When she shakes her head, he continues, "Akatsuki's rival gang; Kiddies who think they can fight us. They have a couple of important members like, uh...Itachi's little brother and that runaway Hyuga kid, yeah."

****Hinata stiffens at the mention of the Hyuga, but she realizes that Deidara isn't referring to her, he's referring to her cousin. He doesn't notice her tension though as the waitress saunters over, her green eyes flickering to the meek Hyuuga before returning to the blonde man.

****"Sorry babe, but you can't smoke in here."

****Deidara's lips turn up and he leans back against the chair some more, "Aw don't be like that, you can keep a secret can't you?"

****The waitress' eyes flutter and her red stained lips smile, "Yes, but I'm best at keeping the _dirty_ones."

****Hinata is sure she wants to throw up, she scowls at the conversation as red begins to stain her cheeks at the crude implications.

****Deidara laughs as the waitress walks away and turns back to Hinata, "A little squeamish are we, yeah?"

****Hinata shifts and crosses her arms over her chest, "Look...what do you want?"

****Deidara stares at her before leaning forward, causing the chair to land back on its two front legs and there was an audible 'thud' He leans forwards and places both elbows on the table, his head resting on his palms, and his eyes boring into Hinata's. Hinata shifts uncomfortably and suddenly considers bolting out emergency exit just to her right and never looking back. "You know what the problem with gangs is?"

****He's too close and Hinata can't speak without stuttering and making a complete mess of her words at this point so she shakes her head feebly.

****"So many innocent people get involved, un. If you're an acquaintance of a gang you're instantly targeted for things like ransom or revenge. And you, little mouse, are too cute for your own good. You shouldn't hang around people like me, or your cousin for that matter."

****"N-Neji is a g-good person!" Hinata manages to say

****"Whatever, un. It's just some advice. Besides..if you really wanted to keep yourself safe you'd watch whose turf you're on. And don't go callin' on your cousin for help, un. You're on Akatsuki's land." With that the blonde stands and turns, he takes five steps before turning back to Hinata. He winks at her.

****Hinata sighs and collapses back into the chair. She should probably take the blonde akatsuki member's advice in leave. After all, if anything were to happen to her, no one from The Leaf could save her. Well...they could but that probably wouldn't end well.

****Just as she was getting up her phone. She glances down and sees Neji's name blinking across the blue screen. She hesitates before answering it, knowing that she will probably get a lecture, but finally sucks it up and clicks the 'Send' button.

****"Ano...H-Hello?"

****"Hinata." Comes Neji's brotherly voice. He's been like that ever since she found him. "Where are you?"

****"The O-Okensai neighborhood."

****There's silence on the other end before Hinata hears a slow exhale, "Why...are you there?"

****"I was looking for the modern 3D art museum..." She replied honestly. Later she got sidetracked...

****"I'm coming to get you."

****"You can't!" Hinata exclaims. "You k-know you can't. Listen, I'll just catch a cab to your apartment. OKay?"

****"How do you know I can't come and get you?" Hinata can almost feel Neji's eyes narrow through the phone.

****"J-Just don't do anything stupid, Niisan. You know what you guys would do to them if one of them trespassed on _your_turf." Hinata says quickly. "I'll be there shortly."

****"Yes yes." Neji sounds annoyed by this point, "But how do you _know _that that's their turf."**  
**"Isortofmetandknowamemberofth eAkatsukiandhesortofhelped! OK bye Niisan, see you soon." With that Hinata closes her phone, runs outside, and waves down a taxi.

-:- -:- -:-

**"**So let me get this straight...you heard some guys talking about your father, got saved by Deidara and then came here?"

**"**Yup." Hinata replies, "Ano...do you...do you know anything about my father?"

**"**Actually, I know alot about what he does. Too much." Neji replies, "There's alot of explain, Hinata. But it all starts with underground business.

****"Underground business...?"

****"Yes, and alot of it." Neji says as he runs a hand through his brown hair. He shifts on the couch and says, "You know how everyone knew that the Uchiha's did illegal things on the down low but no one did anything about it?"

****Hinata nods her head but looks puzzled, "but-"

****Neji raises his hand to silence her, "Let me finish. It's the same for your father. Only a few people who work for the company know and work for him. Your mother knew, my father, and most likely, Hanabi."

****"But-but Why would Ha-"

****Neji shoots her an annoyed look but continues like she didn't say anything at all, "In this underground organization I'm sure there's lots of drug and weapon trade going on. Hiashi doesn't want the police suspecting _anything. _His wealth and influence can cover any trouble he gets in but he doesn't want the image of his company tarnished, he has too many important clients...This is where you come in."

****Hinata shifts, her mind is racing a mile a minute. Like, why didn't she know all this, and why is Hanabi involved? Did all of this have anything to do with the **  
**death of Neji's father?

****"What do I have to do with any of this?" Hinata asks hesitantly. For a person who knew nothing about the whole affair...she could only do...well nothing.

****"Police are becoming suspicious of the Hyuuga affairs below the surface. You are the one your father really plans on making the president, but really you'd just be like a figurehead of sorts. He planned on keeping you in the dark with Hanabi in charge of everything, including underground business."

****"But why would he-"

****"You're innocent Hinata. With your beauty and calming personality, you can win the public over easily and keep the police assured that there's absolutely _nothing_going on with the Hyuuga. Think about it. You're the perfect choice, especially when you know nothing about what's really going on." He pauses to glare at his phone that had just vibrated. "Let's say that you're the president of the company now and the press stop you to ask about the accusations of there being an underground branch of Hyuuga corporations, what would you say?

****"That I know nothing about them."

****"And that would be the truth...at least what you think is true. Hinata you have this sincerity about you that could make anyone believe you."

****"Okay." Hinata says, she takes a deep breath runs a slender hand through her hair. "But that doesn't explain why he kicked me out if he needed me that badly."

****"The thing is, Hiashi wants you to learn what it's like without being pampered. He thought you wouldn't make it in this world and would run begging for his forgiveness. Straight back home and that once you realized how reliant you were on him you'd stay and not be deterred to give up your title. He'd thought that you'd appreciate more and try to learn to become the proper head." Neji shakes his head and stands. He grabs his gray mug and moves to the tiny kitchen. "He underestimated you, of course."

****"Of course." Hinata replied with a smile, "But I wouldn't have really gotten very far without meeting all of you" She takes the cup from his hands fills it with hot water and sticks it in the microwave. "B-but it looks like you've thought about this alot how did you come to this conclusion?"

****Neji pauses from his search for mint tea-bags and stands up, "I think like my father did. And my father thought similarly to yours. Anyway Hinata, the most important part is what happens now."

****Hinata frowns, "What do you mean?"

**"**He doesn't want you involved with gangs, because he is most likely involved with one them. If he find out that you're with The Leaf," Neji shakes his head, "It probably won't be good."

**"**So..I shouldn't join you guys?" Hinata questions.

**"**No, it's your choice. There are too many pros and cons-" Neji cuts himself off when his phone vibrates again. He answers it annoyed, "Hello?"

****Hinata watches his expression turns from annoyed to shocked, "Again? Did you take them for questioning? Damn."

****Hinata presses forward to figure out what's wrong.

**"**What' wrong with Choji?Alright I'll be right there." Neji snaps the phone shut and jogs to the door.

**"**What's happening?" Hinata questions, running to catch up with him. She jogs down the stairs beside him, eager to get information.

**"**We were set up again during a trade. Choji and Shikamaru went this time, Choji got shot, not sure how bad," at Hinata's gasp he glances at her, "I'm sure he's fine. We've all suffered a gun wound or two...Anyway the cops are on the scene. Sasuke called me for back up."

**"**Uh, what c-can I do?" Hinata questions.

**"**Nothing," Neji smirks at her, "After all you're not in the gang yet."

**A/N: **_**Edit: new formatting. **_

**aaahh Neji and his gangly pride.**

**Yay 4 Deidara ^^**

**Anywayyyys, the next few updates might be a tad bit slower because I'm in the process of writing a 4-chaptered GaaHina fic, and I need to catch up and write more chapters for**_**this**_**fic. Plus school is a bitch.**

**Hopefully I should be able to continue to update regularly though!**


	9. eight

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 8**

Smokes curls around his fingers and into the air, moving freely across the room. His eyes follow the white wisps before they disappear before his eyes. Sasuke leans his head of dark hair against the window-cold with November air, his breath fogs up the glass and he takes another drag from the cigarette.

His thoughts are ferocious beasts that he cannot fight. He can only feed them with knowledge to keep them at bay. Distractions tame them better, but in the quiet of the night they attack again. They seem to know all of his fears and demons, they strike when he's at his weakest.

He can't sleep.

The Uchiha puts out the cigarette and stands, he shrugs an old sweatshirt over his bare shoulders and enters the kitchen, rolling his shoulders to ease his tension, for some food, instead he comes across his blonde roommate. "Yo."

He doesn't turn on the light as he begins to make is coffee, long slim fingers run over objects in the cabinet before grabbing a black porcelain mug with the Uchiha Crest painted sloppily on it. "Hows Akimichi?" He reaches for the coffee grounds, "And Nara..." He adds as an afterthought.

"Bad," The Uzumaki boy replies. Sasuke hears him sit down heavily on the couch in the other room, "I mean-Shikamaru's fine, just needed some stitches over his left eyebrow..." Naruto says, his words are tired and his mouth feels wet, like he's trying to talk under water.

Sasuke hums for him to go on, he turns to the coffee pot and adds water. The Uchiha has an air of indifference surrounding him but they both know that it's just a front. He cares very much for his group of friends, his gang. So, it's understandable when his fingers tighten around the handle of his mug.

"Choji is in ICU. Gun wound to the chest. Sakura says one of his lungs collapsed...he has a tube or somethin-" Naruto's voice comes out strained.

Sasuke raises his eyebrows, "A chest tube."

"Uh yeah...Anyway, he needs surgery to get the bullet out or it could cause some serious damage. Plus his lungs aren't in the best condition because he smokes, Sakura says pneumonia can become a factor too...He'll be in there for three to four months," His voice is wary and full of worry for his friend, "That is...if they stabilize him in ICU."

"He'll pull through." Sasuke says confidently, he takes a large sip of his coffee-it's black, no sugar, no cream, "Do you have any leads on who guys are working for?"

"Me and Neji got there too late, those guys were runners. We-"

"Just tell me tomorrow." Sasuke waves him off. The poor guy looked like a wreck.

Sasuke _feels_ like a wreck.

At this point Sasuke just wants to sleep-he realizes that drinking a cup of coffee would not help. He dumps the half-full cup down the sink, watching the dark liquid corrupt the pure white porcelain of the sink, sloshing down dark pipes. He figures that he is like coffee, dark and strong. Maybe even a little corrupting. Staining hearts like coffee stained his sink.

Maybe next time he'll just take some pills instead. He stops on his way back to his room and turns, "Oh yeah, Hyuga's deadline for her decision is tomorrow."

-:- -:- -:-

The Leaf is furious.

That's about as much as Hinata knows about the situation. She hasn't been given much information on the incident that happened two days ago. All she knows is that one of Ino's best friends, Choji, is in a critical state at the local hospital.

Neji hasn't told her a word about it since she left his apartment. The only thing she knows about the apparent 'set up' is the little bit Neji had spit out while running out of his apartment building.

Hinata sighs as she ducks out the way of flying notebooks and narrowly avoids being shoved into lockers. Avoiding getting injured in these hallways has become a routine, it's a good thing she has good reflexes because her nose would've been broken if she hadn't avoided that airborne Trig textbook.

Coming to stop in front of her locker, she dumps the heavy book bag on the ground in front of her and works on getting the door open. The new dent by the lock didn't help but she's more focused on remembering her combination than wondering where it even came from.  
Finally, she gets the door open, the ex-heiress is so focused on organizing her books she hardly notices the note falling out of her locker. Curiously she picks up the wrinkled and stained piece of notebook paper, she unfolds it and reads:

**It's been one week.**

Confused, the Hyuga re-reads it. What's been a week? She scratches her head, trying to figure out what exactly has happened in the last week that would warrant her receiving this note. Just as Hinata gives up on trying to figure out what the cryptic message even means a tan hand assaults her line of vision just as another hand covers her mouth.

"!" Hinata's scream is muted as her arms flail, the person manages to use Judo on her and put her in a tight lock and hold with her arms behind her back. Through her terror she fumes that they used a move on her that she'd been trying to master for weeks! The hand around her eyes is replaced by a soft black cloth. She huffs and prepares to bite down on her captor's hand so she can scream-her tongue accidentally brushes their palm instead and...it tastes like...ramen...

"Hehe, did you just lick me-OW!"

Hinata smirks inwardly at her captor's reaction after she bit him; she uses this time to scream for help, "HELP MPHH-!"

Another hand slaps itself over her mouth and she feels herself being lifted into a pair of arms, "I told you she was a fighter," A different voice grumbles.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Let's blow this ramen stand!"

"It's Popsicle, idiot."

"Huh?"

"-The saying goes, 'Let's blow this _popsicle_ stand,'"

Hinata's terror quickly vanishes as a giggle escapes her. She recognizes their voices now- Kiba and Naruto! She relaxes in their grip and stops struggling-although she still doesn't know why they're kidnapping her.

"Hey, she calmed down!" Naruto exclaims, his voice is directly by ear so she assumes that he's the one carrying her.

"We weren't supposed to talk. She wasn't supposed to know it was us," Kiba sighs, "You might as well tell her where we're taking her since you've already ruined the element of fear, O fearless leader."

Before she knows it, she's plopped into the backseat of a car, seconds later the car starts and they're driving down the street.

"I-I can't skip school!" Hinata exclaims, "T-take me back," Her voice falters as if she doesn't really mean it.

"No can do," Kiba replies, "Besides, you can't tell your kidnappers what to do and expect them to do it."

Hinata struggles to sit up with her hands tied behind her back, "W-why did you kidnap me anyway? And why am I blindfolded?"

"Didn't you get our message?" Naruto's questions cheerfully from behind the wheel.  
"It was kinda v-vague..." Hinata replies. She still doesn't know what that was all about.

"You have to give us your answer on whether or not you're going to join The Leaf. Remember? Sas-gay said you had a week to decide." Naruto answers, she can't see him but she assumes he's smiling widely.

_Sas-gay...?_ Hinata manages to think through her confusion, "Okaaaay, but w-why am I blindfolded?"

"We're taking you to headquarters, you're not a member yet so the location has to remain a secret." Kiba answers.

Hinata decided against telling them that the whole Hey-Let's-Kidnap-Hinata-During-School-And-Freak-Her-Out thing is unnecessary because if they would've just _told_ her that she needed to be blindfolded to be taken to the HQ she would've just gone willingly without them having to scare the crap out of her and force her into the backseat of their car.  
But she has to admit, it was pretty fun.

When Kiba guides her safely out of the car, he removes her blindfold. The first thing she does is look around for street signs so that she can figure out where she is. She turns away disappointed because there are none in sight.

"Yeah," Kiba says, slinging an arm around her shoulder-she squeaks. "We took down all the street signs a couple years back."

"T-that's-that's illegal!"

"Get used to it." A voice says from ahead. The three teenagers looks up to see Sasuke glaring back at them, "You're late."

Hinata ignores the other male and looks around the place. They're all standing outside an...Outdoor public storage center. "So this is...Head Quarters...?"

"Yep! Ain't it beautiful?" Naruto answers as Kiba ushers her through tall gates and onto the compound. "You'll have to tell me and Sasuke your decision. If you say yes, we'll have someone give you a tour and then we'll discuss your initiation process as a group."

Several minutes later Hinata finds herself in a storage unit, seated in a leather chair across from The Leaf's two leaders, Naruto and Sasuke. They both stare at her, waiting for her answer.

To be honest, Hinata has given little to no thought about joining in the last week. She wants to say no so that she will not be put into any immediate danger or regret the decision later. She wants to say yes so that she can keep the friends she has and actually _belong_ somewhere for once. She finally comes to the decision that she will let herself stray from her comfort zone in order for her to keep these friendships that she's made and the bonds that have resurfaced.

"My answer is yes. I will join."

-:- -:- -:-

She's sort of surprised to find that Kiba is a good tour guide.

She's even more surprised at how nice the public-storage-turned-HQ actually is.

Kiba opens one of the orange doors and it opens to reveal a flat screen Tv, some couches, bookcases, and several other home-y items. "We just hang out here. We have a couple other rooms like this, it's a big storage center, ya know?"

Hinata nods, "Do you use _all_ the rooms?"

"Nah, there are maybe nine or ten rooms we use out of like, 50." Kiba answers, "Some of them we joined together by knocking out a wall or two to make the room bigger. The meeting room is two joined room, training room is about ten."

Hinata nods, following Kiba, some of the unit's garage doors are wide open displaying a couch or two. They pass Lee in one doing sit ups while listening to some Vocaloid song. He waves and gives them a thumbs up before returning to his workout. "Some members choose to have their own unit if they want, they can put whatever they want in them, we have enough to go around."

Hinata's eyes light up at the idea, a giddy smile crosses her face at the idea. Kiba notices, "Did I say something you liked?" Kiba questions. They turn to another row of units, there are five on each side-ten in all, all of the doors are open to display the rooms, it gives the place a unified feeling. Hinata looks in each one, there's one with row after row of books, Shikamaru sits on the carpeted floor, staring at a shouji bored. He gives them a two fingered wave without looking up.

Further down Hinata sees the other units-all open, two of them are lounge areas, one belongs to another member, and the last one is full of junk.

"Yeah, I was wondering if I-I could put my art stuff here...like a studio, maybe.." Hinata says shyly, she turns her head to look at the other side, "Ano..is that a kitchen?"

"Yep!" Kiba says, "And you can definitely have your own unit- this one is mine." He points to one across from the one Shikamaru is in, "There's not much in it, but whatever," He shrugs.

Hinata goes to peek inside but a white bundle of fur assaults her. She looks down to see a large dog nudging her leg, she grins and rubs it's ears.

"This is my dog, Akamaru," Kiba says, scratching the dog under its chin.

"Nice to meet you Akamaru," Hinata says to the dog, good naturedly. "So how did you guys come to have this big place anyway?"

"Naruto's old guardian, Jiraiya, owned the place."

"Jariya?"

"Yeah, you know the writer of that perverted novel, Icha Icha paradise?"

At Hinata's nod Kiba continues, "Yeah he was Naruto's guardian for a while. Real cool guy," His face clouds over, "He was killed in an 'accident' about a year or two ago. Gave the whole place to Naruto who turned it into this."

They turn down another row of units, the doors are all closed in this section, "This is mostly business. Sakura's first aid unit is over here, along with the meeting room, and Tenten's treasured weaponry. Sasuke's trust fund bought us one of those gun training rooms." Kiba points across the lot.

_Sasuke bought a gun training room? Really?_ Hinata shakes her head, she doesn't know what to think. She has to remember that she just joined a _gang_, possibly the stupidest thing she's ever done...but for some reason, she doesn't regret it.

"The rest of that column is empty. Allllll the way across from here is the huge training room-Lee uses it the most. 'Has weights and machines and all the junk-Sasuke's trust fund bought us that too." Kiba leads her to two units on the end, "The column behind the training room is empty too." He knocks twice on the metal door. They wait there for a couple of seconds before Kiba opens the orange door himself. Seconds later a wrench flies at his head.

"Shit!" He yells and dodges the metal tool, "What the hell?"

Hinata watches amused as he dodges several other metal tools including a hammer and screwdriver. She moves out of the way and peeks inside to see a row of shiny cars, an angry Sakura with metal objects sitting on one of said car, and a pair of legs-that are definitely not male-sticking out from under a car.

"-I don't see why you have such a problem with her-" the person under the car his saying.

"Speak of the devil," Sakura says loudly-purposely letting Hinata know that she was just talking about her. She glares at the poor girl before turning her emerald gaze on Kiba, "And _you_, Ino and I were having a conversation you know?"

"Ino?" Hinata questions just as the girl is moving out from under a car in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. Hinata cannot help but think that she still looks amazing-even with car grease smeared on her face. "I didn't know you worked with cars."

"Yep," Ino replies, whipping greasy hands on her sweats, "I'm pretty good at it too."  
"What are you working on?" Kiba questions, coming to sit besides Sakura on the hood of a green car.

"Installing an NOS tank-"

"NOS?" Hinata cuts in, "W-what's that?"

Sakura rolls her eyes at her, but really, she doesn't know what it is either. Hinata makes a face at Sakura from behind her back, the pinkett seems to like to alternate from pretending Hinata does not exist to hating her guts every two seconds.

"Nitrous Oxide Systems." Ino answers her, "It heats and splits into nitrogen and oxygen-which means more oxygen is available for combustion and then you can inject more gasoline..."

"Can we have the simple version of this please?" Sakura asks, "My head hurts."

"Basically, it gives the car more energy, power, and speed." The Yamanaka says, throwing a glare in Sakuras direction. "Not that hard to understand, forehead"

"Well not everyone can be a car expert, pig."

-:- -:- -:-

An hour later, Hinata finds herself seated in the meeting room along with the rest of The Leaf, with the exception of Choji.

"Hinata has agreed to join The Leaf, and we have agreed that she should be apart of it," Naruto starts, "But as always, she must undergo initiation."

There's various cheering around the room. Ino gives her a smile that says _good luck. _Other members shiver at the memory of their own initiation, from their reactions Hinata can't guess that they were easy.

"Initiations vary," Naruto says with a grin so bright the sun had to wear glasses, "Kiba here had to walk around in a girls uniform and a blond wig for a week because he had too much pride-so we decided he needed to be taught a lesson."

Kiba glares at his friend from across the room, but pink tinges tan cheeks, "You said you'd never mention that!"

"Speculations are- you're a weakling. So we're gonna make you fight your way in," Naruto slings an arm around her and she blushes, "Don't worry I have faith in you!" He pinches her cheek before slinking away.

Sasuke glares at him from across the room. His dramatics were not needed.

"Oooh crush?" Ino whispers in Hinata's ear, "Your blush gives you away."

"N-no!" Hinata denies this, "It's m-more like adoration..."

"Come on! You'd _so_ tap that."

Hinata slips her a sly grin, she thinks Ino is the only one who's seen that expression on her face and she wants to keep it that way, "Who wouldn't?" She whispers back, her blush betrays her 'cool look' and they both burst out in giggles.

"Good question."

Hinata turns back to Naruto who is talking to Sasuke about something. Then Sasuke stands and begins to discuss the terms of the fight, "You will fight Sakura,"

That shouldn't be much of a problem for her, she looks over Sakura's thin form. With her knowledge in Martial Arts, the pinkett shouldn't be that hard to beat. Neji seems to agree with the way he's smirking at her.

Though, fighting with Sakura won't help Sakura like her more.

"...and Me."

Wait what? Hinata's head jerks back to Sasuke, who's grinning like he's talking about a happy occasion.

"Hey teme we didn't agree with tha-"

"She has two black belts and was on her way to her third." Sasuke says with a shrug, "She should be able to hold her own just fine."

Yeah but like she can beat _the_ Uchiha Sasuke, and he knows that! Her eyes narrow into a glare and her fist clench in a way that's out of character. Sasuke is purposely trying make a fool of her! How does he even _know_ that she has two black belts? It's not exactly information she randomly gives out.

"Sasuke seriously-" Ino begins.

"Yes seriously. We fight tomorrow after school. Be ready." He gives her a look that makes her feel like she is a child and she did something wrong.

Maybe she did. Maybe reaching out to him and apologizing for not being there for him was the wrong decision.

She is reminded again, of how much he's changed.

**A/N: ahhhh Sasgay u jerk. Added a little Naruhina bit because I love Naruhina.**

**Please review, I didn't get many for the last chapter-and I know that happens where you publish a chapter and it seems like no one sees it and you end up with one review(orisitjustme)**

**But I like reviews as much as the next person and I'd love to know what you think.**

_**Edit: New formatting.**_


	10. nine

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 9**

Studio art was supposed to calm her nerves. It was supposed make her feel secure and in control. It was supposed to be the only calming of the day.

Well, it's not.

Being seated next to Iwa Deidara does not calm her nerves. 'Specially after she spoke to him in that coffee shop.

She's learned alot about him since she had to share a table with him. He's a crazy arrogant pyromaniac who enjoys blowing his art up and getting high. He's also a member of the Akatsuki, The Leaf's rival gang, _her_ rival gang.

He also enjoys ruthlessly teasing her before and after class. Fortunately, they're too absorbed in their art to pay attention to each other _during_ class-other than the occasional comment or two.

"Nezumi-chan your brushes look like they were dipped in acid. What happened to them, un?"

Hinata whirls around to look at Deidara. Late as usual, with his uniform all messed up. The button up shirt was barely hanging onto his shoulders and the crimson red wife beater he had on under showing-what's with him and wife beaters anyway?

"M-My name is Hinata," Hinata replies loosely. His little nicknames for her are getting old. He only calls her Nezumi-mouse-because she squeaks like one. Or so he says. "A-a-and these aren't my brushes, these are yours."

"_What?"_

"A-Ano...they were on t-the floor with a note attached," Hinata replies hesitantly as the blonde in front of her fumes.

Deidara comes over to her and she squeaks and moves back a step, he just rolls aqua eyes at her and snatches the crumpled piece of paper out of her hands. His one visible eye darts across the page before crumbling it in his palm, throwing it on the floor, and huffing. An indignant look flashes across his face before he sits down.

While he's not looking, Hinata bends over and retrieves the note. She reads it only to be confused.

_Deidara,  
Since art is fleeting, I took the time to ruin your supplies. You won't be needing them since you blow up everything you touch. –Sasori  
Ps: If you set another one of my pieces on fire I will castrate you._

"You _are_ a nosy mouse, un," Hinata looks up to see Deidara starring at her lazily; his head plopped on his open palm. "Since you can't seem to mind your own business, Nezumi-chan, I'm going to use your paintbrushes for the rest of the year, yeah."

"W-what?!' Hinata turns a deep sort of red, she turns away, trying not to look at him too closely. He can be quite alluring.

"You heard me," He shrugs and spares a glance at their teacher who seems to be giving some kind of lecture. "Alright, just answer this one question and I'll leave you alone, un."

"O-okay..." Hinata says, giving frequent glances to their teacher as well. She actually _wants_ to listen to what she's saying, but Deidara has a way of bringing attention to himself.

"Do you think art is fleeting...or is it meant to last forever?"

Hinata gives a light shrug, her white eyes meet his and she gives a soft smile. "O-oh that's easy."

Deidara does not look convinced.

"It's...it's meant to last forever."

"Wow I knew I hated you from the beginning, yeah." Deidara says, he turns away from her to listen to the lecture.

Hinata openly gaps at him. What...just happened. "Um...I-"

"Shut up, yeah."

Hinata's mouth snaps shut and she glares at him fully. That was just _rude-_

"Hinata Hyuga, Deidara Iwa. You two are partners." Kurenai says from the front of the class.

The two teenagers look up from their glaring match to stare at their teacher who was waving around rubrics and project guidelines.

"Huh?"

"Why do I have to work with Nezumi, yeah?" Deidara whines.

"M-my _name_ is H-Hinata!"

"W-well, I-I r-really _don't care_, yeah!" Deidara mimics her without paying a glance in the former heiress's direction. Hinata wonders how he could go from the badass guy who helped her just a few days ago, to a childish jerk so quickly.

Kurenai does nothing to stop their banter as she places two sheets of paper onto their shared table. "Due in two weeks,"

Deidara grabs them both before Hinata can even move. He flings the second paper in her direction before reading his. Hinata glares at him for a couple more seconds as she watches an even more agitated frown etch across his face.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Curiously, Hinata looks down at her own paper and reads**Art Study: Emotions**. Intrigued, Hinata reads the rest of the details for the project along with the rubric. _This project calls for five hand drawn portraits of your partner displaying all of the following emotions: Happy, sad, angry, amused, and annoyed._

Hinata might as well draw up annoyed and angry right now because the look her new partner is giving her is nowhere near happy.

Besides all this, Hinata as to deal with a new problem; She has to meet with a rival gang member, putting herself in danger, just to get a good grade.

Why did she join a gang again?

-:- -:- -:-

Neji sighs and cuts the engine off after they pull up to the storage center, "Look Hinata, I'm sure your fight will be fine."

"I'm not really anxious about that-well I _am-_ but, I'm tense b-because Deidara stole my paintbrushes!"

"Deidara from...The Akatsuki?" Neji raises an eyebrow and steps out the car, "Is he messing with you?"

"No Neji-nii," _Well actually, yeah. He's a huge dick,_ Inner Hinata raves. _Just Like Sasuke._"It's an um...different Deidara. D-don't worry...I'll get the brushes back..."

Neji's face says that he doesn't believe her, but he shrugs and continues to walk, "So, did you do any training before the fight?"

Hinata nods, "Only a little though. I know I can take Sakura and I know I can't beat Sasuke." She admits, she pulls her arms behind her back to do some more pre-fight stretches. "W-why do I even have to fight him?"

Neji's face turns stony, "No idea what the asshole is playing at-sorry," He's about the only person who apologizes for cursing in front of a lady. She assumes that he's never been able to shake the Hyuga mannerism. "Sasuke never does anything rash like this unless you've upset him and you haven't done anything wrong."

Depends on what you define as wrong, Hinata thinks. In her mind (and every other sane persons') nothing she said to Sasuke that night can be considered _wrong_ but Sasuke thinks 100 percent different than normal people.

He doesn't want to come off as vulnerable so he'll show Hinata that he's strong. Or, he could be trying to prove a different point, that Hinata doesn't belong with them in the gang.  
Either way, she'll try her hardest.

"You ready?" Ino comes up and asks her, "Sakura pretty strong, so avoid her punches. Can't give you much advice on Sasuke though..."

Neji lifts up the garage door and lets the two girls in before shutting it behind them, "Just be unpredictable." Neji says, "It's like he can see what you're going to do before you even do it."

"Yo Hinata!" Kiba greets her, he sits on one of the mats on the floor. "You ready?"

"Everyones a-asking me that today," She replied with a slight roll of her eyes, "I d-don't really want to fight anyone..."

"Too bad," Sakura speaks up from the corner in a sing-song voice. She's wearing a pink sports bra and a pair of loose basketball shorts. "It's not like I want to do this either."

"Here's an idea," All heads turn to look at Sasuke who's just entered the room, "Let's start."

Hinata and Sakura's fight starts off slow. Neither one of them want to make the first move. Sakura is hesitant while Hinata wants to get a feel on how Sakura fights. In the end, it's Sakura who makes the first move. She lunges at Hinata who shifts last minute. Sakura is back at her, seconds and Hinata reacts instantly by twisting her arm behind her back in order to avoid Sakura's flying fist. Hinata is about to try to grab Sakura's other arm but she twist out of her grip before Hinata can reach her.

Sakura hisses at her as she shakes her wrist loosely. The pinkett medic advances on Hinata again but this time, the ex-heiress is prepared. She dodges Sakura's iron fist. Sakura's punches are strong, but they're too slow. Hinata delivers a swift blow to her stomach, she almost feels accomplished until she feels a fist full of her hair being yanked out of her skull.  
Hinata lets out a loud screech as she watches strands of hair fall from Sakura's fingers. That was a dirty move! Was that even allowed-

"It's allowed," Shikamaru answers her unasked question.  
"There are no rules." Sasuke speaks up, "This isn't one of

your _fancy_ tournaments. We can do whatever we want."

HInata's eyes narrow slightly at the boy before turning back to Sakura. She can fight dirty too-kinda. Her hands reach out and grab a fist full of pink locks and she pulls harshly.

Hinata winces as Sakura does-she really _doesn't_ like hurting people. She wants to end this fight quickly so she decides on Judo move could end it. As Sakura struggles under Hinata's death grip on her hair Hinata uses her free hand to pull Sakura's arms behind her back. Somehow Hinata manages to get Sakura on the ground, with both arms locked behind her back.

Hinata receives mixed reactions. Some cheer for her, others just shrug as they continue to watch the initiation unfold. Sakura pushes Hinata off of her angrily and actually _spits_ at her.  
Well, that's unlady like.

The former heiress can barely stop her nose from wrinkling at the glob of spit inches away from where her hand is resting on the mat. Hinata stands and quickly puts her hair into a ponytail, her head still hurting from earlier. She's actually a bit hurt that Sakura dislikes her enough to spit at her. Maybe she can apologize to Sakura later? The indigo haired beauty really hates when people are angry with her...

She's knocked out of her thoughts when Sasuke is suddenly on his feet and is lunging at her. She barely avoids his fists because he's so fast. Hinata is leaping up and down, trying to get off the defensive and try to hit the guy. Hinata attempts to kick him but misses. The whole 'no rules' policy really pissed her off so she aims another well-trained kick to his privates.

They wrestle for a couple of seconds after Hinata misses. Her hand flies across his face once and he sends her an enraged look. When he let's go of her shoulders, she attempts to aim another kick to his privates.

Sasuke isn't having it and decides that he's bored with Hinata. He aims a punch to the poor girl who has no time to dodge. His fist embeds itself into her gut and she lets out a cough before landing on her back.

"Sasuke-" Neji stands abruptly, "That was uncalled for-"

Sasuke waves him off and exits the room. Neji follows him out angrily, looking like he wanted to beat the Uchiha to death with a crowbar. "I'll be back," He calls to Hinata.

"Congratulations! You passed the initiation," Naruto grins at her and grabs her hand to help her up, "Are you okay? Sasuke-teme sure is an asshole, eh? Who even hits girls.." Naruto trails off but concern is still evident in his gaze.

"I-I'm fine..." Hinata mutters rubbing her sore tummy, "Just a little sore."

Naruto nods and raises Hinata's hand up like she just won a boxing match, "The Leaf welcomes it's newest member! Hyuga Hinata!"

-:- -:- -:-

It was, of course, Ino's idea for the whole gang to go to a club to celebrate their newest member.

No one really objected and they all met at the place only an hour later.

Hinata had just got there and Ino was already dragging her around place.

Ino pulls her, Tenten, and Sakura into the bathroom. Hinata expects her to stop in front of the mirrors but she continues to lead her into the biggest stall.

She giggles and reaches into her bag, "Look what I got~!"

"What?" Tenten asks, rolling her eyes at Ino's dramatics. She leans against the stall door and nudges Sakura, mouthing the words 'crazy.'

"Some Ex!" She pulls her palm out of her purse to reveal several small pills.

"No fucking way," Sakura gushes, she takes two and immediately pops them in her mouth, then she raises her cup to her lips to wash them down.

"Anything weird in it?" Tenten questions, taking two herself. "No meth or cocaine, right?"  
"It's pure," Ino answers with a grin.

"Um...W-what is it?" Hinata says aloud, her fingers coming together. It sucks being out of the loop.

"Ecstasy." Ino puts two pills in Hinata's palm. She raises an eyebrow, "You do know what it does, right?"

"It makes you dance," Tenten says into her ear when Hinata didn't respond immediately. "It's like being on fire."

"Try it," Ino urges. "It's pure. There are no hard drugs or anything in it. It's fine."

Hinata looks at each and every one of them. There's a difference between getting drunk and getting high off illegal substances that are supposedly 'pure.' One is considerably more dangerous than the other, although she would be doing both illegally...she's too young to drink 'legally'.

"Scared?" Sakura gives her a smirk that makes her blood run cold. Sakura is the embodiment of self-confidence. "Don't be a pussy,"

"Ah, ah,ah! Forehead don't be such a bitch!" Ino teases, "That, my dear billboard-brow, is peer pressure."

"You just told her to try it two seconds ago," Tenten points out, she hums out a sigh and flings the stall door open, "Whatever Ladies. I'm out. I've got some dancin' to do."

"Same." Sakura replies. She adjusts the neckline of her pink dress before following Tenten out, "I'll leave the Stiff with you!" She calls over her shoulder.

The stiff? _Does she mean me?_Hinata frowns. Her hands close around the drug in a tight fist. _Maybe this one time I'll do something dangerous. Maybe this one time I won't be so boring._

"-No really," Ino is saying, "You don't have to-"

"I will," Hinata cuts her off with a smile. "It looks...um...fun!"

"Okaaay," Ino looks like she doesn't believe her as she passes the plastic cup to Hinata, "It won't kick in for about another half hour."

Hinata nods at her, popping the pills in her mouth and washing it down with Ino's booze. She hands the cup back to Ino, feeling accomplished. She finally did something _bad_ and _darring_. She finally came out of her shell and lived for once. Her smile is big as Ino grabs her and leads her through the crowd of dancing people to the bar to get Hinata her _own_ drink.

Hinata sees Sakura and Kiba standing there as she nears the counter. When she gets there Ino orders for her and Sakura begins to talk to her.

"You don't look half bad, Hyuga. At least you ditched the awful jacket." Sakura says looking her up and down as if she's seeing the girl for the first time. She sneers, "You could've tried a bit more though"

Hinata is again astonished at Sakura's hostility. She glances at her outfit, simple black skinny jeans and a light-pastel colored loose see-through-ish blouse tucked into her pants. Her hair is in a high ponytail-much to Ino's delight. Sure, she didn't look _amazing_ but she did try!

Kiba seems to notice the female power struggle going on and loops an arm through Sakura's, "Let's dance Pinky, you seem tense." He wisps the hostile girl away with a fleeting wink in Hinata's direction.

Ino returns to Hinata's side leaning against the bar and watches Neji and Tenten dance from across the room. She passes the cup into Hinata's hands and sighs, blowing her bang out of her face, "Now if only Shika would ask me to dance."

This peaks Hinata's interest, "I've been meaning to ask you. A-are you two together?"

"Pffft. No. I mean I wish-" Ino blushes and covers her face, "-Didn't mean to say that!"

Hinata looks at her curiously, her eyebrows lifting, "Y-you wish?"

The pretty blonde shrugs beside her and then slumps down a bit, "I guess I'm sorta in love with him."

"Y-you guess?"

"Hinata! Stop second guessing my confusion!" Ino whines at her, "We're bestfriends-I don't want to ruin it. Besides he's like, in love with this girl from another gang. Temari. She's this blonde bitch-"

G-go ask him to dance with you!" Hinata whispers and completely ignores what Ino was saying before.

"What? No-I'm not going to-"

"_M-Make_ him want to dance with you!"

"What do you mean by that...oh," A devious smirk crosses Ino's face, "Ahh Hina you devious girl. I didn't know you had it in you!"

Hinata blushes bright red and tilts her head to the left, gesturing to the guy who'd been starring at Ino for ages, "D-dance with him. S-shikamaru's eyes are on you anyway. He'll definitely interfere."

Ino's smirk grows, "I don't know why Sakura was calling you a Stiff. You're not so bad after all." She flutters past Hinata and towards the man, "Dance with someone please! Don't look like a loner!"

Hinata nods her head at Ino's request and goes back to staring into her drink. It's red with a lemon inside, she has no idea what's in it, but it's probably dangerous since Ino brought it to her. She's waiting for the buzz of the E but she doesn't feel any different...then again it's only been about fifteen minutes since she took it. Hinata gazes around the club for her friends. Kiba is grinding on some random chick and Naruto is not too far away from them, doing some bizarre spin off his head in a way that's best described as fail-breakdancing. Tenten and Sakura are dancing together, that left poor Neji alone with a drunken Lee who kept shouting about being the 'Drunken Fist master of the world!' Ino is still dancing with that guy-Shikamaru is watching, and Shino and Sasuke are nowhere in sight.  
Hinata sighs and goes back to staring into her cup.

"Hey baby," A guy with shaggy hair and a big smile slides up to her, "You make my liver quiver."

Hinata turns ten shades of red, "Uh...u-ummm," _What does that even mean!_

"Why don't you dance with me, huh? You look so lonely..." His finger comes to trace her jawline and she shifts away.

"N-N-No t-thanks-"

"She's with me," Someone slides up to her other side and flings an arm around her shoulders, "Back off."

Hinata's head whips to the side so fast she gets dizzy (it's actually just the alcohol's fault) Her jaw drops at the offending person, her shock then turns to confusion, and then quickly anger, "S-Sasuke."

"Whaaat-?" The guy to Hinata's right says, "I ain't bothering no one, right sweetie?!"  
"Er..."

"Is he bothering you, Hinata?"

Her stomach is doing flip-flops inside her with all of strange activity. One, Sasuke actually called her by her _name_ and not 'Hyuga.' Two, his arm is around her. (It makes her go jshkjakjkad) _Why is his arm around her?_Three, some random guy told her that...she causes his liver...to, um, quiver. Four, oh shit! She just realized that he was _hitting on her_ and that Sasuke was_protecting her._

What is going on?

"-Earth to Stupid. You should thank me." Sasuke is saying.

Well, that sounded normal.

"T-thank you for what...?" Hinata mumbles, moving from under Sasuke's arm.  
He takes the drink from out her hand and allows himself a sip-what's with this guy?-"For getting that sleeze bag away from you."

"Yeah well, I-I just d-don't see why you're being so nice n-now," Hinata retorts, rubbing her sore stomach from when Sasuke fucking _falcon punched_ her in the gut."O-or is this your way of apologizing?"

Sasuke's eyebrows lift. His little friend has really changed, though she's still the stuttering mess she was years ago...she's developed this sort of-sass. His expression changes to one of concern but he hides it under a smirk, "I do feel bad," He admits, "But Uchihas don't apologize."

"G-Good because Hyugas don't forgive." With that, Hinata walks into the crowd of dancing people without looking back.

She really should've...because Sasuke's mouth was hanging right open.

-:- -:- -:-

The E has finally kicked in.

She can feel herself being pushed from person to person as if everyone wants to dance with her at once and are trying to share. It's really weird...she feels as if she's going in slow motion but she's moving really fast at the same time.

Faces pass her. She's danced with Naruto, Lee, and Kiba. She laughs loudly and latches onto someone else.

"Hinata baby, you are so _fucking_ high!" Ino says over the music. Their bodies move together in sync with the music.

"So are you!" Hinata yells back, her hands raised high in the air, wrist rolling and hips thrusting. The lights from above dance across her sweaty skin. For a moment she's blue, then yellow, now she's red. "I'm _so_hot!"

Someone yells, "Hell yeah you are!' from a little further away and Hinata and Ino giggle.

"Nonono! I'm _burning_." Hinata insists, "Someone give me some water!"

Suddenly she feels a pair of hands on her waist and a person pressed against her back, she twists to try to see who it is but the person stops her, "Don't turn around." The voice is close to her ear, tickling the tiny hairs on her neck and making them stand up. Electricity spreads from his fingertips and up her sides and she shivers despite how hot she feels.

"I already know it's you, Sasuke." She allows herself to turn and face him-still pressing against him-body moving like a fucking force of nature, "I-I just don't understand you."  
"Hn."

She pays no mind to the annoying response, "One minute you're pushing me away, the next you're trying to beat me up, and now you're dancing with me. W-what's your deal Uchiha?"  
He grunts and moves his hands up her body, caressing and feeling- sending little sparks of electricity through her skin and making her glow like a Christmas tree. His mouth is on her neck sending Hinata sensations she's never felt. This is the start of the most dangerous relationship. "You're not the same as you were before, Hinata."

"I'm high," She answers in a way that says that that's not the whole story. But she _is_ high, and she's_not_ herself. She's still moving and her arms encircle his neck. They move together in harmony, neither knowing what the other's deal is. Hinata not caring about Sasuke and his problems. She won't remember by morning, anyway. Sasuke is confusing and psychotic and that's exactly why he begins to kiss her. The kiss taste like fire. It's hot and it burns her core, her heart goes up in flames and her brain is fried to the crisp. It is an electric shock and her hair stands on end, her burning heart is pumping with excitement, begging for more, like it needs Sasuke more than blood and oxygen.

But her brain is just so tired. So _so_ tired, and Hinata just can't seem to give it a break. It let's her heart decide for now. Battles of the brain and heart are meant for another day.  
The kiss leaves her yearning for more, like a slowly dying fire she collapses. Her head and her heart have endured too much.

She is burning. She is on fire. She is sure that she's still Hinata but she doesn't really know who she's becoming.

**A/N:**

**1. Oh for the love God this chapter is so busy! I tried to break it up but it didn't really work with the way my plot outline is set up...**  
**Well you got your Deidara in this chapter and some SasuHina be happy .**  
**Um, the last part of the chapter kind of got away from me and I don't know what happened there (YOU MAKE MA LIVER QUIVER BBY) so I apologize even though I'm not sorry aha.**  
**2. Also, I have zero knowledge on the effects of Ecstasy. I just googled it and read a couple articles. If you've ever tried it and found my portrayal inaccurate, feel free to tell me.**

**3. I had no time to edit this even though I've read through it a couple of times! I**

**Keep trying to update minutes before I leave the house. Stupid me!**

**4. It's time for me to catch up because…I've used all the chapters I've written in advanced and have slacked on actually writing/producing**_**new**_**chapters. So, please forgive4 me if the next chapter is a little bit late, I'll do my best to continue to publish weekly.**

**4. REVIEW. Haha this chapter is over 4,000 words. I haven't written one this long in a while…**

**5. I LOVE YOU GUYS. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAD REVIEWED, FAVORITED THIS, AND ALERTED THIS FIC. YOU HAVE MY APPRICIATION.**

_**Edit: New formatting.**_


	11. ten

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 10**

Hinata wakes up to a hammering head and a heart that _didn't_feel like it was about to burst out of her chest like it had the night before. Her hands come to massage her temples and a soft groan escapes her lips at her throbbing head.

Pale eyes open and then shut almost immediately after. The sunlight must hate deeds done in the dark because it causes her the worst migraine she's ever had.'

She dares to open her eyes again, three minutes later, to find herself laying on the faded blue futon at Ino's house. A couple books rest at her head and empty bowls and food wrappers are at her feet. Her arm dangles off the side of the futon and fingers hover inches above the floor, brushing against an empty vodka bottle from time to time.

Hinata frowns; she doesn't want to see another drop of alcohol ever again. Don't even get her started on this so called 'ecstasy.' God, if she hadn't been so high she probably would've been rushing her seemingly hundred-in-fifty-degree body to the hospital.

Really, last night is a huge blank for her, something she definitely doesn't like. She only remembers a few key things, popin' pills with the girls, drinking Jack Daniels out the bottle and some red drink Ino brought her, and feeling really _fucking_ hot. She tries to recall events from last night but only comes up with dizzying pictures that's most likely an effect from the molly.

Hinata decides to get up after her little mental rant. Her head is hammering and her stomach is telling her that she needs food. She probably barfed it all up in an alley or something like that the night before. She sluggishly rises from the couch and moves to Ino's kitchen, hoping that her parents weren't home. She didn't need to hear her mother's petty gossip or her dad's high babble. Her wish was granted when she enters the kitchen to find it empty. The ex-heiress pours herself a glass of water and rustles through Ino's medicine cabinet to find painkillers. It shouldn't really be hard, since the girl's father pops pills himself.

Just as two pills slide down the indigo-haired girl's throat, Ino enters the kitchen. Her hair's a mess and she looks like death.

"g'morning." She manages to grumbles, pushing Hinata aside to get her own medication. Hinata gives her a half-hearted smile-which isn't returned-and hands her friend her glass of water.

"F-_uck._" Ino swallows the pills, "This,"

"You remember anything from last night?" Hinata questions quietly, trying to soothe her throbbing head.

Ino lets out a laugh that was more like a bark, "Ha! Not at all!" She staggers towards the refrigerator. "It have better been pretty fucking amazing with this hangover I've got!"

A high pitched wailing sound pierces the silence and seems to break through both girls' eardrums and beat against their brains. Hinata's palms crush over her ears, her head seemed to be attempting suicide with all the pain bursting through her skull.

"Shut up!" Ino whines, she sprints to the mobile home phone, pressing 'send' and screeching out an angry, "_WHAT?"_

Hinata leaves her to her phone conversation and wanders back into Ino's living room with her bowl of cereal.

Not more than two minutes later, Ino comes in looking furious. "Hey newbie, you're going to your first gang meeting."

"Now?" Hinata all but whines, "I feel like I just got run over by a bus."

"Yeah well this isn't going to be one of the most pleasant meetings." Ino says, throwing her hair up and shrugging on a pair of sweats and a hoody. "Well...Let's go. You can drive." She tosses the keys to Hinata, but she lets them drop on the floor.

This will definitely be a terrible meeting. Ino _never_ lets _anyone_ drive, if she's feeling like crud everyone else will be.

"Dammit."

-:- -:- -:-

Above his body, the ceiling fan goes around in quick circles. It circles over his head, around and around and around. The force of the fans rocks the light bulb around, jerking light and shadows every which way.

Sasuke should not be hot in this November cold, but he is. He's angry too, and hungover. Yes, that more than anything.

His hand fumbles, trying to find another cigarette. He lights it with ease and returns to his laying position on the floor, staring at the fan. He'd love to get high at the moment actually, but he can't smoke pot he doesn't have. Besides, it'd be rude to come high to a meeting he called for. Especially if everyone else was fighting a hangover.

Bringing his third cigarette to his lips, obsidian eyes return to the ceiling fan. In constant motion, swirling dust and air above him. His eyes try to count how many blades there are but he can only count two before the gives up. He wonders if his life is like that fan; in constant motion. Except it's the same thing every time, a never ending cycle. He cuts through demons like the fan cuts through the air: pointless if you think about it. The fan is just moving the air around, he's just moving the demons...they never really disappear.

Except...in his life he's thrown a curveball. Hinata. He wonders if, she's like a balloon...Childishly thrown into the fan, that eventually pops and is destroyed.

Man, he wished he _was_ high. Then he'd have some type of justification for these screwed up thoughts. He doesn't even know if what he thought just made sense. He'd just compared Hinata...to a balloon. Although her breast...well they could be compared to balloons...

Sasuke grunts and puts out his cigarette. There's no time for those thoughts, even if he can admit that his old friend has filled out nicely..ahem, anyway he has to get to the garage to host this meeting. Hangover or not, they have some important business to take care off.

"Teme!" An obnoxious voice yells. Naruto appears in the garage office, where Sasuke is laying on the floor, "Teme! Teme-"

Sasuke is up before Naruto and say 'teme' one more time, his hand closing around his friend's throat, "Shut _up._"

Naruto flings Sasuke's arm off him agitatedly, "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"Hn."

"So teme, remember anything from last night?"

Before Sasuke can even begin to say 'No' Naruto continues, "Cause I do! I mean, I 'member most of it. I think. Yeah. So Teme, there were these two hot girls right? They were _all over me_ man! And I was like, 'whoa ladies slow down' all smooth right? And then they were _making out_ in _front of me~!_Teme do you hear me-teme?"

"...it was probably just a dream, dobe."

"Waaaah~ How could you say that? It's true!"

"I don't believe that for a second."

"Teme, believe it!"

"I refuse."

-:- -:- -:-

Sasuke glares back at his friends without restraint. They seem to want to _show_ Sasuke how irritated they are by the early morning meaning through their less-than-friendly glares.

"Oh suck it up, you babies," Naruto says from beside Sasuke. The Uchiha shakes his head as Naruto is pelted by airborne pens and paper. Tough crowd.

He gazes around the room once more, noting that everyone is present with the exception of Chouji and steps up to begin.

"One of our main traders was taken down last night on our own turf." Sasuke says quietly, taking in their enraged expressions, "We have yet to find the source of who's doing it but I'm going to begin to sign some you up for turf watch."

Kiba curses, annoyed. "Damn. This hasn't happened since we were competing for power against Akatsuki and Hebi."

"Speaking of Akastsuki...they've partnered with someone," Naruto speaks up, seeing Hinata's confused expression he elaborates, "They're receiving funding and supply from a big company. Sometimes they do that company's dirty bidding and deeds. If that company produces drugs, it's their job to sell it. They get a percentage of the profit. It's mostly a win-win situation...if you get a huge ass company to support you underground."

"And Akatsuki's already powerful enough. We still need to find out who they've partnered with… but first...we're going to take up Tsunade's invitation. If Akatsuki's partnering, so can we," Sasuke says. "I'll be taking Shikamaru and the newbie—Hinata—along with me. Look nice. No weapons, this should be a...pleasant meeting." Sasuke does not stop to look at Hinata's expression. "That's all. And don't glare so much. Nobody told you guys that it was okay to drink yourselves into next week."

The resulting yelling is exactly what Sasuke was expecting; he smirks and leaves the room.

-:- -:- -:-

"I don't wanna gooooo," Hinata whines to Shino and Kiba. "What can I possibly do in this so called meeting?"

"Sit there," Kiba shrugs at her takes out a cigarette. "Not much you can do, I suppose."  
"It should be a rather simple procedure," Shino states, pushing up his glasses and tapping at an ant farm in his respected garage unit. The three of them sit in Shino's 'room', until it's time for Hinata to leave for Tsunade Corps, or whatever this woman's company is called.  
"Yeah?" Hinata hums, spreading out on Shino's really soft rug. "I just hope Sasuke isn't to

o much of a jerk today," That part she mutters to herself.

"Hm," Kiba rolls around to face her as Hinata buries her face into Akamaru's fur, "Do you remember anything from last night."

"Yes," Shino replies at the same time as Hinata says, "Barely."

"Well, you and Sasuke seemed to be getting pretty comfy on the dance floor,"

"If we were I don't remember it," Hinata blushes bright red anyway. "S-shino t-tell me that didn't happen…"

"Hm," was his only response.

"This is going to be so awkward," Hinata wails, "I refuse to believe the both of you. What did we _do?_"

"Weeeeelllllllll, you-"

"Hinata. We're leaving." Sasuke pokes his head into the room, surveying the three of them. "Good. You don't look like as much of train wreck as you did this morning. Let's go."

Hinata frowns at his back, puffs her cheeks out at him, but can't stop the blush from filling her cheeks; she turns and shoots Kiba and Shino a pleading look. A cry for help. Kiba just laughs at her, so hard his shoulders are trembling and Akamaru is sniffing at him curiously.

Hinata sighs and pulls the sleeves to her sweater over her fingers; she crosses her arms over her chest as Sasuke tells her that she could've at least put on some makeup. The nerve of him! She outa slap him…she would if she had the guts.

Minutes later, they pick up Shikamaru from his unit and they're off on the road to downtown Konoha. Sasuke drives and Shikamaru is graceful enough to give Hinata the front seat, the guy only wants the back so that he can spread out on it anyway.

Sasuke is giving the two of them orders and whatnot for the good part of the ride. Mostly he tells Hinata to shut up and look pretty, she's just there for 'observation.'

Hinata chances a glance at him again, wondering just what she could've _done_ with that guy. The guy was a block of ice. She wonders if she ended up kissing him, wonders if it's like kissing an ice cube. Her cheeks warm despite the images of ice cubes running through her mind, and she turns quickly to look out of the window.

Sasuke peeks at her from the corner of his eye. Just what is her problem? The girl is weird. Sasuke decides. He turns on the radio and drowns the silence in the car out with the voices of announcers at the live soccer game going on now.

-:- -:- -:-

"Hey brat, where's the other brat?" A woman with blonde hair and a giant chest says from behind a huge desk in a massive office with the greatest view of Konoha ever seen behind her.

If it wasn't for Sasuke's glare, Hinata would've floated right over to the window, taken a picture of the view, and have gone home to attempt to paint it. Instead she stands beside a sleepy Shikamaru, looking curiously at the woman that is Tsunade. Honestly, she's probably met the woman a couple times, her father knows all big business owners and has made Hinata shake hands with all of them one too many times. She's even heard him talk of her, lowly that is. He criticizes her work and company, 'Hokage enterprises', too many times to count. He always said that the woman was 'a sloppy drunk that doesn't have a firm hold over her workers and executives,' apparently not having an iron fist over the company is instant death.

It's interesting to Hinata that now, Tsunade and her father will be rivals in both underground and regular business. She briefly wonders who her own father is partnered with, if anyone.

"He's on business somewhere else," Sasuke comments dryly, uninterested. "Listen Tsunade-"

"Is that Hyuga Hinata with you there?" Tsunade asks suddenly, starring at Hinata.

Hinata jerks upward to attention, "Uh, yeah." Blush covers her cheeks as Sasuke and Shikamaru look at her curiously.

"Hmph. Well things just got more interesting," Tsunade says. She doesn't elaborate but waves her arms widely gesturing towards someone in behind them. The office doors clang open and three people enter. A woman with black hair and eyes rushes in and places a glass of Sake in front of the business woman and turns to the three gang members, "Would you like any wine or beverage? We have Haut Brion wine available."

Hinata recognizes the expensive wine from her days with her father but shakes her head wildly, no more alcohol for her!

"Shizune! Why are you offering the expensive wine to minors! You never offer me wine!"

"That's because you always want Sake, Tsunade-sama," Shizune rolls her eyes and begins to take her leave, "By the way Hyuga corps is on line two."

"What does _he_ want? Tell him I'm in a meeting, will ya?"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," Shizune answers and takes her leave.

The three Leaf members stare at Tsunade blankly, wondering when she'll get back to business. At this rate, Shikamaru will fall asleep standing up.

"You two, come over here." She orders suddenly.

Two older men in suits walk over to Tsunade. Hinata's eyes widen at one of the masked men. _Kakashi sensei?_ He notices her too and gives her a wink before coming to stand next to the other man.

"Kakashi," Sasuke says as a greeting, "Asuma."

They two men nod back at him before turning back to their boss.

"Hey," Shikamaru says suddenly, "You said no weapons. I'd appreciate it if your men drop their guns on the desk."

They don't hesitate when asked; they just reach into their suit jackets and pull out a couple pistols.

"Now, Tsunade," Sasuke speaks up, his patience warring. "We accept your invitation, but we have some terms."

"Okay shoot."

Hinata sinks into the background as she watches Shikamaru rise to the call. He's really quite brilliant. He tells Tsunade their gang's term and conditions, arguing and negotiating the terms that Tsunade doesn't agree with.

"Asuma and Kakashi here will be the two you guys will speak with most often. They're my…assistants and act directly under me. They will pass weapons and drugs to you guys, along with other little jobs I might need done." Tsunade stands suddenly and walks around her desk, "And if you guys ever need any backup they're the ones you call. If you get in any trouble with the cops, call me."

"Hm," Sasuke hums, "Sounds good. Pleasure doing business with you."

"And with you," Tsunade answers, they two leaders shake hands.

When Hinata steps up to shake hands with her too, her eyes lock with the business woman's and the squeeze of the blonde's hand is a little too tight. "This should play out interestingly, Hyuga. I don't like your father, so if you ever get into it with him, just give me a call."

"Um, thank you?" Hinata says, a bit unsure. She smiles with her goodbye and rushes out of the building with Sasuke in tow.

Maybe Tsunade was right, things just got a little bit more…_interesting._

**A/N:**

**Edit: New formatting/spacing etc.**

**New This was actually a hardish chapter to write! I am so bad a bridge-like chapters that set up the plot for**_**other**_**chapters so I had to push through this one.**

**I'm thinking of pushing my regular update day back to Sundays because my Fridays have been quite busy lately! I went out with some friends this weekend so I didn't get a chance to finish up this chapter until today.**

**This chapter is un-beta'd! I apologize for run-on sentences (There are several haha) and small errors I might not have notice!**

**Please review! Have a nice week!**


	12. eleven

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 11**

Deidara's hands press gently as they can into the piece of clay he's currently molding. He smooths and rounds edges using his thumb before kneading more clay. His new piece is nowhere near being done, unfortunately, even after hours of him slaving over it.

The boy ties all his hair, save for the bang, up into a ponytail and focuses on the work of art. He wants it to be exquisite, for when he blows it up.

Sometimes, for his enjoyment, he just places the tiniest explosive charge, much like a tiny firework in the center of a patterned block of clay. Then he lights it and watches it explode into some abnormal shape. The shape after the explosion generally depended on the beginning state of the clay.

For right now though, he's trying to finish a piece for a show. It's of an abnormal shape with tons of crazy details and patterns, but there's a hole in the middle, right where he'll light fireworks for the show. The people will be so enthralled by the fireworks, they'll be surprised to see the sculpture itself explode into pieces of clay and color!

He can't help but let a grin of excitement escape him as he leans over his piece, his hair is falling away from the ponytail already but he brushes it away while reaching for another block of clay. He just got the best idea-an amazing epiphany, he can add a bit of clay and explosive charge here and-

"Deidara." A vice drawls from the entrance of his studio, "You look demented."

"Go away, yeah. I'm having an artistic high."

Sasori scoffs, "Art. Right. That's exactly what _that_ is."

Deidara flips him off distractedly. "If you're going to be unhelpful, get out, un."

Sasori walks over to inspect Deidara's um...masterpiece. "As much as I'd like to do that...we have a job to do tonight."

Sasori raises an eyebrow as Deidara curses and starts to mutter about all the Calc homework he was supposed to make up or something. "Can't you just tell Leader that I have homework?"

"As you're the youngest member in the Akatsuki and yet the least invested in school, I doubt he will believe your claims."

Deidara shrugs, it was true enough that he didn't actually..do much in school. He does well enough to pass, at least. Sasori does better than without even trying. Smart bastard. The only other senior in their group is Hidan...and that's because the asshole failed the fifth grade. Twice.

Nonetheless, Deidara still hates when his 'youngness' is still thrown in his face. "I'm still _taller_ than you."

"And obviously less mature." Sasori sighs, "_Anyway_, we need to go before Leader decides to slit our throats or something. Please button your shirt correctly or something, it's not hard."  
Deidara grumbles as he rises from his seat. He carefully wraps plastic around his wet mound of clay in order to keep it well...still wet. Then he wipes his sticky-with-clay hands on his dark jeans, sufficiently ruining them.

Twelve and a half minutes later, Deidara sits in his partner's car with a cigarette hanging out the side of his mouth and a gun tucked into his side, "So, what are we doing anyway?"

"Nothing too big..." Sasori pulls to the curb of an abandoned looking warehouse, "Just run inside and get a couple of guns and explosives will ya? And hurry up, we're supposed to be there in twenty."

"It'd be helpful if you told me what we have to do," Deidara replies, irritated.

"I'll tell you on the way. Just hurry up, idiot."

Deidara shoots him a look before leaving to duck under this really pitiful wooden fence. He jogs down the first few steps of the warehouse and into the warm basement. It's the Akatsuki's 'home base' it's nothing too special, it's actually quite crappy. The main room is comfortable enough, with couches and what not but it lacks a certain...homey feeling.

Deidara navigates through the basement of the building with ease, finally reaching a back room labeled '_killing devices :DDD'_by Hidan, the bona fired blood demon. There, he exchanges his navy blue cotton jacket in favor of a black leather one and grabs a couple more handguns. Since Sasori told him nothing of what they're about to do, Deidara packs a couple explosive devices, and a tiny bit of C1 and C2 plastic explosive and blasting caps in his duffle bag for the hell of it.

Of course, having this type of substance on hand is illegal, and like, impossible to attain, but the Akatsuki's _sponsor_-if that's what you want to call it-is very _generous_ to them and their special bomber.

Five minutes later Deidara is back in the car with an annoyed redhead. "It took you five minutes. Why?"

"I couldn't decide on if I should get the C2 or C3 plastic explosives, un..."

His response is met with a silence and Deidara can practically _feel_ the annoyance flowing from Sasori in waves. "Anyway," He friend starts, "We've just received news that Hokage enterprises has partnered with someone. We don't know who yet, but my guess is on The Leaf." He sighs, annoyed, "Anyway, Leader wants us to blow up one of her clubs or someth-" Sasori cuts himself off when he sees Deidara's crazed grin of excitement. He regrets his word choice immediately. "I didn't really mean _literally_ _blowing the club up_." What a moron.

"Then why did you say 'Leader needs us to blow shit up and cause epic explosions,' yeah! I knew I would need the C3 but _nooo_ I picked the C2."

Sasori's fingers tighten on the wheel from irritation. Yes, he did say that-or a variation of it. (He did not say _shit_or_'epic explosions.')_Deidara can go from one of the coolest guys you've ever seen to a five year old in 2.5 seconds. It must be one of the quirks of being insane and/or mentally retarded or something.

"Just blow up the doors to the safe, don't blow the _whole damn club up_, we could never get out of that mess."

"Itachi has his people in the police force and so does the old man-if not more," Deidara says, referring to their 'sponsor' "We'll be fine."

"Not the point." Sasori tells him, always the sensible one. "The point is that this is a...warning to Tsunade, not necessarily actions to start a war. We're just going to rob her place, maybe shoot a couple of her men. If we blow the place up and kill everyone-well that would start a war."

"And robbing her wouldn't start a war, un?" Deidara asks dryly, glaring out the window as they drive through the sleepy city. It's going on midnight now.

"It's enough to get her riled up and cautious, but it won't start a war. And that's kinda the point."

Deidara blows his bang out his face and props his chin on his palm, "I don't get it, yeah."

"Whatever. Idiot."

-:- -:- -:-

They arrive at nightclub fifteen minutes later but end up parking a block away. It's called _Rookie 9_ or something weird like that, and is known as one of the dirtiest clubs in Konoha. Of course, it isn't well known that Tsunade owns it. Only to people underground is it known that she owns a small chain of clubs similar. It sits in one of the toughest corners of the city. The lights are all red inside, it's hot, and it smells like smoke and burnt hair.

Basically, its Konoha's little piece of hell on earth for only the city's worst kind of scum. The little club brings in an admirable sum of money every week.

"They're late." Sasori states irritated. Hidan and Kakuzu had failed to show up on time and Sasori was pissed. Not that Deidara cared any. He'd rather be sleep. Deidara entertains himself by placing blocks of C2 and C1 into the pockets of his jacket, along with the detonators. He ignores Sasori as the red head tells him that he won't even need that much to blow a couple doors down. What does Sasori know about bombs? Deidara tucks a pistol into the waist of his pants, carefully sliding the safety on before he does so. He knew a guy who ended up shooting himself in the thigh because of that...'said it was just a few inches shy of his dick.

Not that Deidara believed_that._But hey, better safe than sorry.

Just as Deidara inclines the passenger seat of the comfy leather chair, Kakuzu's car rolls past with obnoxious music sprouting out of the open windows and Hindan waving his head out like a dog.

"Alright, let's go," Sasori says, and makes this big show of being a badass by going down a one way street in reverse at twenty miles per hour and then suddenly making tight left turn. Anyway, they park in the back of the club parking lot, which Deidara thinks is stupid, but he's not the brains of this operation, unfortunately.

Sasori forces Deidara to hide his highly distinguishable Deidara-From-Akatsuki-Blonde-Hair from view by making him wear a goddamn beanie. _This makes no sense,_ Deidara mentally rants as he glares at the shorter man and pulls his hood over his head. Hidan only has to wear sunglasses over his weird as fuck colored eyes.

They pass through the entrance easily enough with Deidara flashing is fake I.D. that does not say 'Deidara Iwa' on it because everyone in Konoha fucking knows who he is because he blows everything up. Long story short: If they knew he was Deidara, they'd know he was Akatsuki and the whole thing would be over.

He follows the plan Sasori told him about, meaning, he sits in some corner watching Hidan pick up some chick and attempt to seduce her in order for him to get her to show him around the place. A.K.A. scout out the area for something looking like a safe or something. Sasori never explained things in detail to Deidara so he's left in the dark a lot.

While all this happens Kakuzu is supposed to be searching for guards and cameras with Sasori.

Deidara wanders over to a corner of the room, eyes squinting from annoyance at all the red strobe lights and smoke and what-not. He turns suddenly when he feels a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, haven't seen you around."

He turns to find a woman leaving nothing to the imagination standing next to him. She flashes a wide grin and runs her hand down the length of his arm. "You must be new," She hums, her eyes lowering demurely. "And young too..." Her fingers squeeze his biceps.  
He allows a smile and a tilt of his head, 'I'm just checking this place out, yeah. Seems pretty cool."

"Yeah," The woman agrees. Deidara peers at her curiously, her black eyes shining and her hair up and spiky. She has on a fishnet shirt with a jacket barely hiding anything. "I'm Anko by the way." Her hand slides lower down his arm, "What's your name?"

"Er..." He really shouldn't be telling anyone his name, "It's-"

"What the fuck man, it's guy night!" Hidan comes up and catches Deidara in a headlock. He roughly jerks Deidara out of Anko's hold, "Sorry babe, but this asshole lost a bet. He can look but he can't touch. Girls are off fucking limits tonight."

_Gay._ Deidara thinks as he's pulled away by the wad of meat that is Hidan.

"You almost ruined the whole thing." Sasori gazes boredly at the pyromaniac. "Well, whatever. Let's just finish this and then you can go get that girls number if you decide to stay behind while the sirens go off."

Deidara pushes himself out of Hidan's grip and frowns, "Whatever. You find the place?"  
"Yeah," Hidan replies, "It's down this fucking secret staircase and in some damn corner. There's no serious security system but there are two guards there who yelled at that chick for bringing me down there." Hidan wanders over to the bar, the three guys trailing him, "Someone will have to knock them out for me first before I go down because they'll just be suspicious."

"Hm," Kakuzu says, keeping a close eye on a few corners of the room, "There are a few guards here and there watching everything. But we're not anything they need to keep their eye on, in their opinion.

"  
"Alright Deidara, you get your wish," Sasori says, "That girl you were talking to? Yeah, get her to bring you downstairs while we take care of the guards up here. I'll text you when you can blow the door and start loading money. Don't do anything unless you get my text, ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you, un." He slinks away from the guys with a smirk. As he runs his hand through his hair, he spots the woman across the room. He walks towards her confidently, a fresh cigarette between his lips, "You again."

She turns and blinks at him, "Hey. Stranger. I thought your boy said you couldn't talk to me?"

"Nah, I ditched him. He was just jealous I saw you first. The name's Iwa by the way."

"Well, why don't we go somewhere...more private to talk? I'd love to hear more about this 'bet' you lost."

_Well, that was easier than I thought,_Deidara thinks, _Thanks to my good looks, eh._

The woman seems to wrap herself around him and begins to lead him away towards the back of the club. She smiles at him and he smirks back, trying to remember what she said her name was. Maybe if they get out of the place in enough time, he could actually take her with him. She presses herself against him a bit more and starts to jostle all the C2 in his leather jacket, annoyed Deidara puts her in front of him and lets her lead the way.

True to Hidan's word, she leads Deidara down a staircase hidden in the back of the room and down a flight of stairs. Before he can even observe his surroundings, she's pushing him against a wall and moving her hands lower and lower.

Deidara grunts when he sees her heavily lidded eyes staring at him as her hands open his shirt and her lips reach his neck. He's really trying to keep a level head in this situation, he really is. But the way she's pressing herself against him is simply intoxication.

And then, her fingers reach his waistband and he's almost completely gone and ready to surrender to this female. Her fingers trace the lining of his pants before making a swift retrieval.

A gun clicks.

Ah, he had forgotten it was there, and now it's in her hands

.  
Perfect.  
Dark eyes lock with bright blue and suddenly Deidara's not so horny. The barrel of _his_ gun is pressed to his exposed chest.

"Listen, _bishie_, the name's Anko-in case you forgot-and I work as an undercover guard for Tsunade. Heard of her? Of course you have."

_Did she just call me a_bishie? _I'm not a pretty boy!_Deidara's eyes narrow at the small woman before him, holding his gun to his chest and smirking. Deidara wonders how exactly he got in this situation as he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket.

And as of right now, he's supposed to be blowing some door down. He leans his head against the wall as he tries to think of a way out of the situation, Anko's just standing there like she can't decide whether or not she's going to shoot him. "So what exactly do you want, Deidara of the Akatsuki?"

"It's classified, bitch," Comes another voice suddenly as a large hand comes out of nowhere and knocks the woman's head against the wall. After she falls, Hidan, Kakuzu, and Sasori are revealed staring at Deidara in annoyance.

"I asked you to do _one thing_," Sasori shakes his head and Deidara can only roll his eyes. He picks up the gun from the unconscious woman's grip and moves around the corner to see the door Hidan had described before.

"Dude, how'd she get your gun?"

"Long story," Deidara grumbles, he distracts himself by taking the safety off his gun and looks up to see two huge men running at him at full speed. "Great."

He ducks the first one's fist and comes back up to hit him across the jaw.

"This is such a pain," Sasori sighs as the other man engages him in a fight, the second one actually pulls out a gun but it's knocked out of his hand just as soon as it is revealed. Deidara ducks under one of the guy's arms as Kakuzu knocks him unconscious. Deidara moves towards the door, inspecting the metal and the coded lock on the door. Carefully, he removes the C2 plastic explosive and rips off a couple medium size pieces and applies them to the lock and door, then he adds the detonators.

He runs around the corner and lets out a high pitched laugh as he presses the little red button on the blasting cap. The door explodes off in a flurry of noise and fire. The grin doesn't leave the terrorist's face as dust and debris fly in every direction.  
His friends cough against the dust and cringe at the loud noise but Deidara only smiles and steps on the two knocked out thugs and over the threshold of the room. His eyes roam over the tables and stacked piles of bills but frowns when he notices that there's not much to even take.

"What the fuck?" Hidan spits with a scowl of annoyance, "There's barely any money,"  
"We're just here to make a statement," Kakuzu answers his partner, reminding him of a concept Deidara still doesn't understand. Kakuzu counts the money and loads it into a bag, the four of them move to the door when Sasori frowns.

"That was oddly...anticlimactic..."

Kakuzu hums in agreement but doesn't seem as concerned about it as Sasori appears. They casually walk up stairs, stepping over Anko and the other two guys. As they walk up the stairs, Sasori casually takes out his gun and fires straight ahead twice. The resulting backfire was unexpected and the other three rush to get out the way of the onslaught of bullets.

"What the hell, un." Deidara comments, running a hand through his hair he shakes his head. It's past midnight and he wants to go to bed, not deal with this shit

.  
"I told you it was too easy." Sasori says, back against the stairway. "There are about six men upstairs, I think. The rest of the club has been cleared out from the sound of it." He turns the other way and fires down the stairs. "That woman probably called them in. Not unconscious, by the way."

Deidara readies his gun and grins more. Sleep is forgotten because he hasn't has this much fun in a while. Now all he wants to do is knock some heads.

Hidan must agree with him and brings a knife out his pocket-he's into mutilation and has a strange love of stabbing people, "Let's kick some ass!"

**A/N:**

**Edit: New spacing etc.**

**Sasori is such a bamf and Deidara**_**is**_**a bishie! (I just urbandictionaried that word this week)**

**In case you guys didn't notice, the second part of this chapter was pretty half assed. Huge writers block on this chapter(+it's a day late), but hey! You get Deidara and some action c:**

**-~~Just something cool I'd thought I'd share, I found this really cool youtube vid where this guys, Steve Tobin, blows up blocks of clay. It's something I could easily imagine Deidara doing so I added it. If you want to watch it, look**_**up "Steve Tobin. Bang."**_

__**In other news, my tumblr url did not come up for the last chapter(if anyone cares) its**_**j3rkbending**___**and**___**taliahaha-**_**the second one is my sucky personal blog which I haven't actually set up yet.**  
**Anyway! Review!**


	13. twelve

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 12**

A gun shot rings through the air, but Hinata can barely hear it through the ear muffs protecting her ears. She stares at her 'target', the large piece of paper a few feet in front of her—the image of a silhouette of a man with holes through his chest thanks to her.

She stares down at the silver gun in her hands. The killing device. A deadly machine. It feels heavy in her hands and slippery in her sweaty palmed grip—her arms are shaking. Every time she fires, her body is thrown back from the force as if it's rejecting the object and the nature of its use. It is a machine made for death, even though some may argue its use for protection. The metal feels cold against her skin and the trigger almost gives her frost bite. No, she resents this weapon and even more so the people who choose to use it.

"You're shaking too much," Shino says, he hands her more bullets, "You'll never hit the target like that."

_My target…a fellow human being who I will inevitably injure or kill, _Hinata cannot help but think. She fingers the bullets, tiny little heart stoppers, brain killers, flesh tearers. The cause of Chouji's hospitalization and her Uncle's untimely death.

"Hina, chill." Kiba says from behind the glass, he lies on his back tossing his phone in the air and catching it before throwing it back up again. He stops when he misses and the phone lands on his face. Akamaru is curled around his side, sleeping peacefully despite the noise. "This is training for your protection. We're not training you to become a murderer; we're training you to protect yourself _against_ murderers."

"And then I shoot that murderer, and he d-dies and I become a murderer too! And then—and then, I'll—"

"Relax." Kiba says again, sitting up now, "It's just training. _Just training."_

Hinata huffs to herself and hands the handgun to Shino for them to reload it for her. She blinks at her new target, eyelashes brushing against the plastic of the eye-protector-glasses you were supposed to wear.

Shino hands it back to her ten seconds later and moves to join Kiba behind the glass.

Hinata fires a couple more times, getting nowhere near the target and still terribly shaken from the force. Eventually Kiba leaves the range, saying he had homework to do, and Shino sits leaning against the wall—he could be sleeping, it's hard to tell with his glasses on all the time.  
Hinata shakes her head and lays the gun on the around. She curls and uncurls her fingers and puts her hair up in a tight ponytail. She will not let the gun control her, she will control the gun.

_Wow, I sound like an idiot._

"You suck." A voice says from the door way. "Were you even trying?"

Hinata exhales and turns to see Sasuke's figure through the glass, he gazes at her stoically, "Well what are you waiting for? Shoot."

Hinata feebly glares at the boy before turning back to the target. She raises the gun and glares down her target before giving the trigger a little squeeze. _Bang, _her body his thrown backwards against the force but she catches herself before falling. She blinks at the new hole in target, nowhere near where she was aiming for though.

"Sad," Sasuke says, his voice suddenly close behind her. "Have Shino and Kiba been teaching you anything?"

She doesn't reply as she watches him take the gun from her. Sasuke pushes her out the way with a light shove and fires three times in quick succession. _Bang bang bang_. Straight through the bulls-eye or the heart of his victim. He has murdered the paper.

"Great to know that you're good with the killing machine," Hinata mutters under her breath.

"What?" Sasuke replies. He drops the weapon back in her hands and comes to stand behind her. "Keep your legs shoulder width apart," He instructs. He nudges her right leg with his right foot so that it would move the appropriate distance and then does the same for the left.

Hinata is bright red.

Sasuke lifts her arms, "You're new at this so both hands on the gun." His hand is on the small of her back now, "Back straight. Good. Arms straight. The force will knock you back for a while until you get used to it, but you can handle it."

The Uchiha moves again to put up a new target figure "Never take your eyes off the target and never underestimate your opponent."

"W-Why are you helping me?" Hinata peaks at him from the corner of her eye, scared to take her eyes of her target like he'd yell at her for it.

"You may be annoying and weak," He doesn't give Hinata enough time to feel hurt, "But everyone in my gang needs to know how to protect themselves because a death would be-" He doesn't finish.

They are silent for several minutes before Sasuke says, "Ok let's try again."

He comes behind her this time, his arms encircling her, he covers her hands with his and moves her arms in the right direct, "Now shoot."

Hinata's breathe hitches in her throat and her face feels as if it's on fire. She tries to ignore the feeling of his warm body against hers and fingers the trigger.

_Bang._

Again, her body is thrown from the force, but Sasuke is there to steady her. Her arms remain straight this time instead of jerking upwards because his arms are there toholdhers. She looks at the target to see that she's hit the bulls-eye.

"I-I did it," She breaths softly, she steps away from Sasuke, a light blush dusting her cheeks, and smiles.

"Hn." Was his only response, "Maybe next time you'll be able to do it without my help?" Sasuke takes the gun away from her and looks at his watch, "It's late. You can practice more tomorrow."

Hinata nods and removes the earmuffs and glasses before following Sasuke out of the room. Just as she's grabbing her bag and contemplating on whether or not she should thank Sasuke, he's gone.

She stares at the direction where Sasuke disappeared, frowning.

_That boy is confusing._

-:- -:- -:-

"Welllllll…..this is awkward."

Hinata cannot agree with Naruto's statement more as she sits across from him and Sakura in one of the 'chill rooms' at headquarters. Originally, Kiba and Ino were there too, making the whole thing 100 percent less awkward (The pair could make anything _not_ awkward.) But now, there's just the three of them there, with Sakura glaring holes in Hinata's head and Hinata fidgeting nervously with the corner of the couch.

She really wants to leave about now, it's raining cats and dogs outside and she wants to curl up at home with some hot chocolate, but Neji is her ride home and he's somewhere on HQ flirting or something with Tenten. As much as she wants the two to _get together already_ she wants to go home more.

Somewhere in the back her mind, she wonders why _Sakura_ doesn't just leave, since she seems to hate Hinata so much.

"So," Sakura says leaning forward and towards Hinata.

Shocked Hinata leans forward and waits for her to continue.

She doesn't.

"Um, so?" Naruto speaks up.

"So I saw you with Sasuke earlier."

"Well…yeah we were discussing our next move…ouf!" Naruto is cut off when Sakura punches him in the stomach.

"Not _you_, her!"

They both turn to look at Hinata, She shifts, uncomfortable with the sudden attention and begins to sputter, "U-uh, h-he helped me s-shoot?" It comes out like a question and Hinata inwardly scowls at her stuttering. She didn't have to explain anything to Sakura, so what was her problem?

"Oh really?" Naruto grins, "How'd you do?"

"It was okay…I guess. I d-did better after Sasuke helped me…"

"Of _course_ you did." Sakura pipes up. Her jade eyes are narrowed at Hinata in disbelief.

Suddenly, Hinata feels angry. She is so tired of Sakura's attitude and snarky comments towards her. Hinata's done nothing wrong and has barely had more than two conversations with the pinkette. If anyone should be angry at the other, it should be Hinata.

The former heiress bristles at the medic's glares, "Sakura…may I ask w-why you seem to have a problem w-with me?"

An indignant looks crosses Sakura's face as if Hinata is supposed to magically _know_ why Sakura hates her, she crosses her arms and runs her fingers through her pink hair, "Naruto can you please…"

"Yep. Was already on my way out," He says, Hinata's head whips around to see him already at the door, looking sorta constipated like all the drama upset his stomach.

Meanwhile Hinata sits pouting at him like she needs him to be the mediator between the two girls. _Please don't leave me with her, she'll eat me. _But Naruto only disappears around the corner and into the rain.

"Look Hinata, Sasuke is _mine._"

Hinata stares openly at the girl before bursting out in soft giggles, "I don't…I don't want Sasuke…" Although Hinata is curious, what right does Sakura have to say that Sasuke is _hers_? From the looks of it, Sasuke doesn't like either one of them very much.

Sakura moves her gaze from her split ends she was picking at to Hinata's amused light eyes, "Everyone wants Sasuke."

_Uh…_Hinata frowns at her, _is she crazy?_

"Haha, just kidding! But seriously, stay away from him." Sakura stops playing with her hair and stands to her full height, "And besides, he's way out of your league. You couldn't handle a guy like him,"

Hinata shrugs, she doesn't it doubt it. She doesn't _want_ to handle a guy like him…too much baggage. She thinks that their conversation is over, but Sakura just keeps going.

"And I've known him waay longer," False, but she doesn't know that. "We have a _special connection_, and I don't want you ruining it. 'Kay?"

Hinata blinks at her, "Umm, okay?"

"Good. I'm glad we got that all cleared up, Hinata!" Sakura smiles at her and pulls up her hood, "I still don't like you." She leaves the room.

Hinata collapses against the couch gapping at the wall in utter confusion. Then she buries her head into the couch, wishing Ino was there to help her figure out what the fuck just happened.  
She thinks over their entire conversation and comes to three possible explanations for Sakura's behavior. One, she could be just insane, two, she feels like Hinata is a major threat and is jealous (Hinata has no idea _why her_), and three, she really hates the Hyuga's guts. (Again, why her?)

A couple minutes later, her phone vibrates and she blinks at the screen sleepily.

From: Naruto  
Hey newbie, we have a mission 4 yooooooou! :3  
Come 2 the meeting room to find out.

She blinks again. A mission. For her. No thank you. She'd rather sleep. As she's getting up, her phone vibrates again, she opens the message.

From: Naruto  
put some pep in your step! Hurry up and get the mission dets. I hope you're not sleeping.

Hinata frowns and texts back that she's coming already. He can calm down.

From: Naruto  
I am calm, believe it!

Somehow, Hinata does not believe it.

-:- -:- -:-

"Somehow, I don't think this is a good idea," Shikamaru says, "Just going out a whim here."

Naruto sits with Sasuke and Shikamaru in the meeting room, spinning around in the comfy swivel chairs and tapping away on his phone. "It'll be _finnnne!_"

"Why exactly did you choose _Hinata_ for this? Don't you think Ino would be the better choice to go with Sakura? Or even Tenten for Kami's sake?" Shikamaru questions.

"They need this bonding experience. They practically hate each other; a mission will bring them together."

"Naïve." Shikamaru coughs into his hand.

Sasuke just shakes his head at the blonde, "If Neji ever finds out what kind of job you're sending his cousin on…he will castrate you."

"I don't think she's ready for this anyway," Shikamaru adds, "She's too…innocent. Plus this isn't something we send our girls out to do normally, so why now?"

Naruto waves his hand but becomes serious, "This is a necessary mission, no matter who we send. It's not like I _like_ sending them to do this shit." He takes out a cigarette and lights it before tossing the pack to Sasuke. Naruto rubs her head while his frown deepens. He really hates this shit, he really does. It's degrading, it's _terrible_, and he doesn't want to send his friends to do it. "I told granny our issue and she said that this was the only way to get it done."

"Tsunade has never been creative with plans," Sasuke comments, taking out his own cigarette and tossing the pack to the Nara boy next. "We told you what happened to Rookie 9, right?" He asks the boy.

Shikamaru frowns at the mention of the dirty club, "No. What happened?"

"Akatsuki took it out. Heard from somewhere that Tsunade partnered with us. They did a number on the club though. Remember Anko? Yeah, she was undercover that night, and got injured pretty bad."

"Damn." Shikamaru closes his eyes for a long minute before sitting forward and opening them, "Did they find out that Tsunade's with us?"

Sasuke flicks his cigarette, "Not that we know of." He glances at Shikamaru again, "How's Chouji by the way?"

"Doing better," Shikamaru shrugs and flicks his away his ashes, "Could be worse."

"Alright, what do you want?" Sakura enters the room all soggy from the rain. She slams her bag onto the wooden table and glares the three men down. "I have a mission _now_?"

"Well, in a couple hours, yeah." Naruto answers plainly.

"It's Sunday night! I want to go home and sleep!" Sakura whines, she plops down in one of the swivel chairs and props her jean clad legs up on the table next to her bag. "So are you going to give me the details or not?"

"We're waiting to your partner." Shikamaru yawns out.  
"Yeah?" Sakura yawns too-it's contagious, "And who's that?"

"Ano..I-I'm here." Hinata peeks her head into the room.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me." Sakura sits up suddenly and connects her face to her palm, "_her?_"

Shikamaru and Sasuke look to Naruto to explain this one. The partnership was his stupid idea anyway-created for a noble cause- although the idea of 'instant friendship' itself was pretty cliché.  
"You and Hinata-chan have been very...disagreeable when it comes to each other. A mission together will definitely strengthen your bond."

Hinata would rather die, and for once, she thinks Sakura agrees with her.

-:- -:- -:-

"I'm not doing this. I'm not doing this. I'm not doing this," Hinata repeats to herself over and over again because she can't seem to grasp the fact that she _is doing this_ shameful embarrassing dangerous thing.

"Will you shut up already?" Sakura yells through the door, "You _are_ doing this. It's no big deal; we're just posing as prostitutes."

_Ohohoho._ _We're just prostitutes._ Hinata wants to melt into a puddle of self-pity. The mission Naruto sent them both on was of the worst kinds to give but was important for the gang in the long run-Sakura understands this, but her partner hasn't seemed to have grasped it yet.

"Put on the outfit while I give you a rundown of the mission," Sakura says with a sigh. She might as well take charge of the situation now before it gets completely out of hand. "We're posing as prostitutes as a semi-infiltration mission-"

"What! I joined a gang not _spies international-!" _The timid girl yells out-apparently not so timid when afraid or something.

Sakura only rolls her eyes, "I'm pretty sure 'spies international' isn't even a real thing. And yes, you joined a gang. I warned you, didn't I?" Well she did-but not in a clear way. "Anyway, the goal is to get some dealer to talk; we want to know who keeps setting up our traders, and taking our money. Understand?"

There's mumbling on the other side. "S-so is there like..an official plan?"

"Nope," Sakura looks down at her leather skirt and tank top before applying a coat red lipstick, "I wing it."

_Great_, Hinata wants to die. _She wings it. _Hinata is going to die. She looks down at her own outfit, really revealing and lacy and strappy and weird and flushes from embarrassment. She feels faint. _Nope, Icannotdothis. I think I'm going to-_

"You better not puke." Sakura replies. She comes over to look over the girl in front of her. "Hm. You need more makeup. You can't look like a prostitute without makeup."

"I-I-" Hinata's words fail her. Her fingers come to tug the skirt, desperately trying to make it longer. It only budges a quarter of an inch and Hinata wants to fall over from defeat.

Sakura puts on a pair of knee-high leather boots before shoving Hinata down into the chair. She takes out a makeup kit and begins to assault Hinata's face.

"So," Sakura is saying while blotting Hinata's face with blue eye shadow and an eyeliner pencil, "The guy we're targeting is some popular drug dealer by the name of Ming Hitoshi. The guy has been dealing with our personal dealers-oh don't look at me like that, our personal dealers are just people we pay to help us sell our crap." Sakura says in response to Hinata's confused look.

Sakura sighs, "The reason _why_ we're doing this is because our personal dealers have been targeted and taken out. Ming Hitoshi, our, like, rival in the drug world, is a main suspect." Sakura yanks the brush through Hinata's hair harshly and she winces, "Understand?"

"Yeah." Hinata replies, although she didn't really understand at all. Why would this Ming guy, go out of his way to kill The Leaf's dealers (and why does The Leaf _need_ dealers?)

"-Speculation is that he's working for one of our rivals too. That why we need to get information out of him. It's a threat to you, you know? Getting our dealers taken out." Sakura slips a knife in a boot and manages to hide a gun somewhere on her personale. "Here." Sakura tosses one to Hinata.

Hinata hums in agreement but still doesn't see the need for major altercation-or her posing as a prostitute. Hinata frowns as the killing device enters her hands again. She pulls up her dress to reveal a pair of short shorts, and tucks it into the waistband. And now she is carrying the killing device for protection. She resents it, a little. But now, she can only blame herself. She joined a _gang_ for God's sake. It's her own fault.

She still can't say she regrets the decision.

"So...you really don't have a plan?"

"Oh, I have a plan. We stand there and look sexy."

-:- -:- -:-

It becomes obvious real soon that Hinata has more difficulty 'standing there and looking sexy' than Sakura does.

For one, Sakura doesn't turn bright red every time a guy in the club even _looks_ at her. Sakura even told Hinata to act more _prostituty. _ Like Hinata knows how to do that. She fidgets with her dress as she sits on a stool in a dark bar, trying to look 'casual.' Sakura just told her to drink the dirty martini and shut up while she searches for their target.

The bar is full of sleazy looking guys and sleazier looking girls with low music playing in the background with a bass so heavy it's almost hypnotic. The bar itself is a bit sleepy and slow, with no real action and people talking in low tones and voices. The low lighting only makes her want to fall asleep but the deep bass is beating along with her heart and sending adrenalin through her system. She feels heavy, sitting there staring into her drink. Like her heart is waiting to drop into her stomach like the beat will drop and a chorus of noise will follow.

"He's here," Sakura whispers into her ear, "Chill." She flips locks of pink hair over her shoulder and sends the sweetest smiles to man who's just entered the bar.

Ming Hitoshi. He certainly _looks_ like a drug dealer. He's wearing all black with sunglasses perched atop his head. He walks in a way that practically screams confidence. He has brown hair to his shoulders, broad shoulders, and dark blue eyes like the evening sky.

"He's hott," Sakura says, "Hotter in person than the picture anyway. But he's not cuter than my Sasuke."

Hinata chooses not to comment but rather, rolls her eyes in Sakura's direction. "S-So now what?"

"We seduce him, duh."

Right. As if it was that easy.

Five minutes later, Hinata finds out that it is indeed _that_ easy. Well...if you're Haruno Sakura and have massive levels of self-confidence. Sakura had walked over to the man and charmed him just with her smile. And, now, she's waving Hinata over.

"Oh, you have a _friend _too?" The guy-Ming, is saying as Hinata walks over to the two of them.

Sakura smiles brightly and wraps her arm around Hinata's waist, jostling the weapon hidden under thin layers of fabric. Hinata shifts. "This is Hana. We're like sisters, we do _everything_ together." A wink and Hinata goes bright pink.

"A package deal," Ming's grin widens displaying yellow teeth, he leans towards Hinata and lifts her chin, blowing stale breath in her face. "We'll I'm Ming. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

And suddenly he's not so attractive. He touches her hair and grins again, "You're...quite squeamish for someone who...does what you do."

Sakura glares at her from the corner of her eye, "It's this little act she likes to do." Sakura gives Hinata a fake little playful shove and Hinata lifts the corners of her mouth in a failed attempt at a smile, "She likes to place innocent, when we both know she's not."

"Hm," Ming hums, but Hinata can tell that he likes the idea. "Well, my place is right down the street. Why don't we go there and...have some fun."

"Sounds great," Sakura purrs while Hinata feels vomit crawling up her throat. She swallows it back down and allows Sakura to pull her towards the strong man's house. She's actually glad Sakura's there, pulling her along, and pressing her sharp nails into her side, if not, Hinata surely would've fainted by now.

-:- -:- -:-

As expected, Ming's apartment is small and dirty. Clothes litter the floor along with old food wrappers and sheets of paper. The leather couch is more stuffing than leather, with the sides ripped and peeling. Hinata trips over a pair of shoes as she enters, wincing at the state of the apartment and the rather loud choice or color scheme. The place is bright red and orange, and yellow. It gives her a headache just looking at it.

Ming grins at them fully, "Welcome to my humble abode," He wraps an arm around each of their shoulders and begins to walk forward, "Now it's time to see the master bedroom,"

Sakura giggles girlishly at him and places a hand on his chest, muttering something into his ear.  
Hinata wonders if she should try to do the same thing but feels a spout of vomit come up again. She swallows it back down and distracts herself by picking at her nails; she only finds her hands shaking instead. The former Hyuga heir is not built for acts such as these, even if she is not going to actually go through with it.

She's never ever imagined herself being led into a room by a strange man with her kinda-sorta-friend. She's never imagined having to bring a gun with her 'just in case.' And she's never imagined her joining a gang just to keep the few friends she's made.

_These things build character_, feeble reassurance is her specialty, so she continues her mantra in her head, It's_ for the good of my friends, my gang. And I will protect my friends._

The words don't calm her though, she feels dizzy all at once as the man lays on the bed and prompts them to get started.

"I-I'm going to-" She takes a deep breath. Sakura gives her a look. Continuing the act is important. "I'm going to ready myself for you. One moment." She rushes into a room to the left, what she noticed was a bathroom.

She slams the door shut and leans against the door. Her breath comes out in short gasps. She leans her forehead against the wood, tracing the peeling white paint with her fingertips. After a couple more minutes of standing there, she staggers over to the nasty looking sink and splashes cold water on her face.

She hears an appreciative moan from the other room. Her face fires up before paling considerately. She just left Sakura in there with a strange man. She wants to go help, she really does, but the vomit is coming back up and she just reaches the toilet in time.

As she's there, puking her guts up, the hairs raise on her neck and she turns to see Ming standing behind her. He kneels next to her, brown hair tickling her cheek and looks her in the eyes, "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah..." She manages, as another wave of sickness overcomes her. His hands move her hair from her face and behind her right ear, they slide down to her neck and he holds her there.

Hinata goes red as his face nears hers, mouth suddenly very close to her ear, "I know who you are and what you want, Sakura and Hinata of The Leaf."

Hinata's blood runs cold as the hand slides up to her hair and gripping her skull. Hers eyes widen in panic when she feels her head moving but not by her own accord. Her eyes close before she can feel her head being slammed against the rim of the porcelain toilet bowl.  
She feels him leave her there. She says a silent prayer as dots dance in front of her eyes, her vision clouds, her senses dull.  
The darkness envelopes her, like a warm hug from death itself.

**A/N: This wasn't originally going to be a cliffy buuuuut I changed my mind!**  
**I know this is a week late, and I apologize but school can take over your life quite easily. **

**Shout out to Animal Crossing music for helping write this chapter. It made my creative juices flow for some reason.**

**Also, for those five or six chapters that's formatting was weird and made the chapters hard to read-I've fixed most of them. I have two or three left to edit. Thank you guys for letting me know the problem-I probably wouldn't have noticed as I'm on my iPod most of the time.**

**Review please, it makes me happy,**


	14. thirteen

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 13**

Sakura narrows her eyes at Hinata as the girl flushes and runs to the bathroom. Not part of the plan. She jumps, not from how hard Hinata has slammed the door, but from the man advancing on her.

"Is this also a part of your friends little act?" He says, burying his face into Sakura's neck. She grimaces but she must play her part, she allows a little moan to leave her as his hands crawl over her torso.

"She," Sakura cuts herself off with a moan and lifts Ming's shirt off over his head, "-She likes to play victem. She thinks you'll give her some extra attention."

His hands are cold. Sakura winces as they slide under her shirt, squeezing her sides and then up under her bra. She feels disgust wash all over her but keeps the look of ecstasy on her face, damning Hinata for leaving her alone with this guy. It's a partner mission for a reason.

"Shall I go check on her?" Hitoshi asks, Sakura's about to say no when she suddenly finds herself on her back with him above her. She blinks and he's already heading towards the door. _Sneaky bastard_. "You can undress while I check on her," He adds.

Yeah, like that's going to happen. Sakura combs her fingers through her hair before sitting up. Checking on Hinata only gets him away for a few seconds, and Sakura needs to get a solid plan in order. Now.

Basically, she and Hinata only need information. The question is how to get him to talk. She stands and quickly looks around his apartment for weapons and easy exits. There are a couple of guns on the table in the living room, almost hidden under a blanket and the only exit she can see is the door they came through earlier.

The only thing she can think of is to surprise him by putting the gun to his temple. And if he doesn't talk, she'll...shoot him or something so she can escape with Hinata. She's not too big on violence but she's bigger on staying alive. She'll do what she has to.

She checks the gun in her boot and leaves her shirt unbuttoned as she walks back into the room. Ming is there on the bed but no Hinata in sight. Sakura feels her skin crawl, wondering what's up with her still-absent partner.

"So, you did some snooping?" Ming states with a raised eyebrow, "...and you're still dressed."  
Sakura bends over slowly, "...Sorry," Her hands fiddle with the edge of her boot before she swiftly removes the silver pistol from the confines of the leather. "But I don't think that's on the agenda for tonight."

While Sakura is crediting herself for being so badass, Ming begins to laugh. The Haruno girl just stares at him and tightens her hold on the gun. On the outside she's the epitome of calm and calculating but on the inside she's freaking out. Why the hell is this guy _laughing_ in the face of a gun? And where the hell is Hinata?

Her fingers tighten even more as the man walks towards her, he pauses briefly and reaches under his mattress to produce a bigger gun. That's how Sakura can describe it: bigger. Sasuke or Naruto or someone probably knows the proper name and whether or not it's a good gun. Sakura assumes it's good, simply because it's huge.

"Sakura Haruno of The Leaf," a smirk stretches across the guy's face and he amuses himself by fiddling with the gun, "I'll have fun killing you as I've killed your dealers."

Sakura's gun feels like it weighs a hundred pounds. She can hear her heart beating in her ears, it's so loud. So loud, she can't hear her own thoughts. Her skin crawls with a new fear almost foreign to her. _So he knew who we were the entire time. _It's a trap, she figures, and she and Hinata were thrown right in the middle of it. _Oh God Hinata_, Sakura thinks, her heart sinks even more as the girl's absence begins to make more sense. _Don't die on me. _

"Who do you work for?" Sakura asks through clenched teeth, she tries to sound strong but her voice shakes instead. Tiny tremors shake her arms and the gun in her fingers.

She feels dread. She feels trapped.

"Drop the weapon." Hitoshi says, "And get on the bed."

Sakura points the gun at his heart. Her gaze determined now. She will do what she has to. She will stain the floor with blood if she must. Her life is more precious that scum like him anyway. Though shaking like a leaf, she pulls the trigger, squeezing her eyes shut and waiting for the sound of a body dropped.

_Click._

Sakura's eyes snap open. No bullets. But..she swore she'd loaded the gun. Sakura gapes at the gun and then the man in front of her. He grins cheekily and puts a large hand on her thigh, "It has to be loaded to kill, sweetheart. Why don't you crawl right over there, huh? Maybe I'll let you go."

Sakura bites the inside of her cheek, crawling over dark bed sheets. Ming removes her boots, turning them upside down and shaking out knives. Tenten's knives, actually. They hit the floor with a clang.

"Now then," Ming gestures with his gun, "Off with your shirt." When Sakura doesn't move he gestures to the weapon, "Or I could just kill you,"

Sakura doesn't want to die today. She doesn't want to be raped by this guy either, but she removes the shirt. Her black bra remained, as well as her skirt. The man drops his gun at the end of the bed, a stupid move in Sakura's eyes but she is _not_ complaining, and straddles her. Sakura squeezes her eyes shut as his large hands grip her thighs and his mouth sucks at her neck. Her fingers tighten against the bed sheets and she squirms. Her breath comes out in short gasps and she tries to ignore the coiling feeling in her stomach in order to come up with a plan. Ming is kissing the exposed part of her breasts now; his hands leave her thighs to pull the bra away, exposing her chest.

With her eyes still closed, Sakura frowns, fuming now. She mentally curses herself out, angry that she's let the situation escalate so quickly. She's got a plan now, not a good one, not really an original one, but one that could stop him.

Sakura's hands move down to the guy's groin. She tries not to get intoxicated by the feeling of his hands rolling her nipples. It's sick pleasure she's feeling. She feels disgusting and violated, and if she gets out of this alive she will shower for a week straight and probably pursue counseling.

"Finally getting into it?" The guy seems excited as he says this into her breasts.

"Mhmm," Sakura manages, she works with the zipper on his pants while her other hand reaches into the hem of her skirt and feels the hilt of her knife. Just as she gets the zipper down she sends a hard punch to his dick with her left hand and unleashes her knife with the right. Sakura brings the knife across his stomach but knows she's only managed a flesh wound. Ming collapses in surprise and Sakura slips out from under him and across the room. The pinkett tries to grab at the large gun but she's slammed against the wall before her fingers could even brush against it.  
Swallowing her pride, she screams, "Hinata! Helmph-" Her eyes grow wide as a swift punch is delivered to her abdomen and pale fingers close around her throat.  
Sigh no more, Haruno Sakura, sigh no more.

-:- -:- -:-

Hyuga Hinata wakes up dizzy. And in pain. And sticky. Stick with vomit and blood. She touches her head, which is throbbing, and tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. Her hand comes back bloody. _Why is my ear bleeding?_ Hinata touches her ear again and stares at the blood on her fingertips in confusion.

Hinata sighs, her breath coming out in quick short gasps and observes her surroundings. A dirty tiny bathroom, with faded pink and green tile, a foggy mirror and disgusting tub. Then she looks down at herself, dressed slutty, in a tight miniskirt, and a top that leaves nothing to the imagination. Classy. If her father could see her now, he'd have a heart attack.

A male cry alerts her to attention. She stands up quickly, suddenly wobbly and sick to her stomach. She vomits in the sink.

Seconds later she hears a thud and a female cry. Sakura. It doesn't seem possible that Hinata's heart can beat any faster or drop even lower into her stomach, but it does. Her fingers shake. Her whole fucking body shakes. Kami, she's never been so afraid in her life. Her fingers lift the gun from where it's concealed under her skirt and they can barely grip it correctly. She feels tears pool at her eyes, she just wants to hug her mom or even her father. Both whom are pretty absent in her life at the moment. She stands there for what seems like hours, shaking and crying and wondering why her head hurts so bad, but she's alerted to attention once again when she hears a scream.

"Hinata!" She can hear Sakura cry, and then something that sounds like a plea for help. Hinata doesn't waste time for petty pep talk and rushes out of the bathroom like a scared kitten. Her head is throbbing like hell and her ear feels even bloodier than before. When her head clears from the dizziness, she sees Ming in front of Sakura, hands closed tight around her neck. Sakura looks almost lifeless, but those eyes, those eyes are fighting for life, and her lips are almost in a fierce growl, fighting for air. The rest of her is straight slack against the wall, he's pressing against her too tightly to allow movement.

"L-Let her go!" Hinata yells, but her voice catches. "Let her go now!" Stronger this time, stronger than any time in her life. She's never yelled so fiercely in her existence. Not even her pleas with Kami at Neji's 'funeral' were this fierce.

Ming Hitoshi turns to face her, eyes challenging, eyes insane. He looks at the Hyuga like a piece of dirt, his face tells her that he believes that she won't do _shit_ with that gun of hers. They're gazes connect, and Hinata feels hers burn hotter, maybe with tears, maybe with anger. He only looks amused and turns back to Sakura.

Hinata looks down at the killing device in her hands. Sleek black metal, dangerous and pretty. She guesses that's how Samurai and Ninja felt about their swords and knives. In this age, there are guns. She turns the safety off and raises it. Her arms shake and quake and her head aches. She doesn't want to kill. If she kills she will become a murderer, and will be no better than the man in front of her. But Sakura is wasting away, the life is fading and her lungs are pleading for air. Hinata fingers the trigger, and then...she squeezes it.

Her eyes clang shut at the awful bang that follows and the terrible sound of a body hitting the ground. She doesn't want to see the blood. She doesn't want to see the evil red corrupting the white carpet in waves like God colored the red sea in Egypt.

She takes a deep breath. What had felt like years, had only been a couple of seconds. If it had taken nearly as long as Hinata thought it did, Sakura would be dead. Hinata rushes over to the girl, averting her eyes from the man's body, unsure on whether or not he was dead. But he was dead soon if they don't call for help.

Hinata gives Sakura a quick look over. She's pale and shaken, shirtless and bloody. Her eyes are bloodshot read, her neck is bruised blue and purple, and her face is quickly regaining color. Her jade eyes are haunting, they mirror Hinata's. Hinata takes off her jacket and drapes it over Sakura's shoulders. They clutch each other's hands and Sakura goes to grab the keys to Ming's car. Then they leave.

When they find Ming's car, Hinata attempts to call the hospital for him but only finds herself sputtering and mumbling. Sakura tries to talk too but her voice catches in her throat. Eventually they get out the state of the man along with his address. Sakura sort of mutters to Hinata that it doesn't matter if he lives or not, because if the bastard _does_ live, Sasuke, Naruto, and Neji will certainly kill him.

Sakura drives to the closest hospital. She's inspected Hinata's bleeding ear and found that she has a fractured skull, which explains the dizziness and vomiting.

When they pull up to the hospital they both sort of sit there and stare ahead. And then they're crying, they sort of collapse into each other and sob. Sakura, who Hinata thinks is tough as nails, collapses into herself and mutters about being too dirty for Sasuke now. Hinata sobs more at how pathetic and wrong the statement sounds. If Sakura's dirty, so is she. Sakura's skinny arms wrap around Hinata's torso and Hinata wails in Sakura's a shoulder.

Naruto wanted them to bond, he got his wish.

Eventually, Hinata finally goes into the ER, still wrapped around a shaking Sakura.

And so they shake together, and to the nurses and doctors, they look like two normal kids who had a tough night at a party.

-:- -:- -:-

If Uzumaki Naruto did not feel like complete and utter crap, he would not be taking all this shit from Hyuga Neji (and others) in the hospital waiting room right now.

No one could feel worse than Naruto right now. No one. It was his fault. His _best_ _friend_ had been sexually assaulted and his other good friend is in the hospital with a fractured skull. Minor, but still bad all the same. And it was all because of some stupid mission he sent them on. Foolishly thinking it would work, foolishly telling himself that the whole mission was _no big deal._

Sure, there had been several infiltration jobs before, but none of this caliber. And sure, there had been other injuries resulting from jobs, but none this emotionally scarring.

Ming Hitoshi. This man will die. He's residing in the very same hospital if Naruto had been told correctly. He's just withholding this information from Neji at the moment because he's a bit...unstable.

"-Why the _hell _would you send _my_ cousin on a mission like this?" Neji is fuming and worried. Worried mostly-he's sworn to protect his cousin and look where she is.

Sakura glares at Neji, "Stop yelling. My head is killing me."

"Yeah, Nej'." Tenten says, "I leave you with the words of Macbeth, _what's done is done."_

"Tenten..." Neji growls at her.

"Yeah I'm sure the mission was a handbangin' experience!" Naruto tries to lighten the mood but fails miserably when he even begins to hate _himself_ for that stupid as fuck comment.

Everyone glares at him. Neji is going to kill him soon, that's for sure.

"...Too soon?" Kiba cuts in dryly, trying to save the moron from instant death.

Sakura pulls her hair up, "Ino, can I stay with you tonight? I-I" She clears her throat, "I won't feel-"

"Of course Saks." Ino wraps her arms around the pale girl. "I'm _so_ sorry this happened to you two. You especially. I was going to wait for Hina to wake up but you need comfort too."

Sakura attempts to smile, and then turns to her group of friends and gives them a more real one.  
"'Night guys. When Hinata wakes up, send her my regards."

There's a chorus of 'goodbyes' and Ino and Sakura leave.

Eventually the rest of them leave for their beds at home and only Neji and Sasuke remain.

"I'm going to stay here with her, are you going home?" Neji asks quietly, turning his head to the side to look at the Uchiha strangely.

The guy looks quite angry , sitting in the plastic hospital chair. He clenches his teeth and exhales before a calming look washes across his face. He's upset at that asshole Ming Hitoshi, and pissed about what happened to Sakura and the state of the Hyuga girl's health. "No," Sasuke says, "I want to congratulate Hyuga. She used the gun correctly."

Neji stares at Sasuke before shaking his head. The guy is weird.

-:- -:- -:-

**A/N: Aha! See! It's rated M for a reason! (Although this chapter was actually totally unplanned and I edited my plot outline weirdly to make it fit-and it all got screwed up all because I decided Hinata would be knocked out in chapter 12.)**  
**Anyway, this chapter is shorter than I wanted it to be, but I'm going to start on chapter 14 now there's been alot of Sasuke so Deidara will be in the next chapter.**  
**ciao!**  
**Review! C:**

**P.S. I love my beta AnnaliseIsmeneRomano! She has new stuff out so go look! **


	15. fourteen

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 14**

Two weeks had passed since the mission. Fourteen days of pain. Nine days of hospitalization. And five more home in bed. Four days of coming to terms with what had happened that day, and three of finally feeling okay with the fact that she's in a gang, a _real_ gang. Two days' worth of homework and one day worth of sleeping and light denial.

Two weeks later Hinata stands in front of West Konoha Prep, her hair up in a messy bun-covering the bald spot when they had to shave her head, coffee and painkillers in hand. Her book bag hangs off her shoulder and she notes that she's stopped following the uniform policy as she wears Neji's men's green WKP sweater over a T-shirt, it's large on her and goes mid-thigh. She doesn't mind, it's comfy and the sleeves are long enough to cover her hands.

She stares at the grey building, remembering from some months ago, what seems like years now, how she stood in front of the school worried about bullies and making friends. She would've never guessed that she'd be here now, sporting stitches from a fractured skull and having gained the new title of a warrior.

The title is silly. Like the school. Like fake gangs and fake territory, the kids at WKP don't quit. They idolize the real gangs, and glorify the violence. Somehow, news of Hinata and Sakura's mission has gotten around and Hinata is instantly praised for her bravery and violence towards some ill-tempered bastard who fancied rape and drugs. Her use of the gun is surprising to them as she looks too delicate to wield one, they grant her the title warrior because she survived and fought. They respect her.

Someone _finally _respects her. She _finally_ receives praise. She has never gotten much of it, but she doesn't want it now. Not in this situation. Not in the face of attempted murder on both sides. She has used the killing device-something she's not proud of-but she has saved a friend.  
In the end they will both be forever changed by this experience.

Here, at this school, where the students are the product of their environments, she is regarded in fear and respect. She is a part of The Leaf. She is dangerous. She has shot someone. She is _badass._

She's never noticed how the other members have been regarded in hallways and in classrooms. But now she does, now she is regarded the same It's partially nerve wrecking, she doesn't like the attention. People stare, some sneer at her as their own 'gang' considers themselves her 'rival.' At least the students have stopped throwing things around her. She no longer has to worry about airborne Trig books flying through the air as she tries to open her locker.

Hinata trudges up the steps, wary of the group of males surrounding the entrance, as usual, but they slink away as she approaches. She passes through the doorway without almost being elbowed in the face for once.

_"Dude she shot someone, she could like, kill you."_

Hinata feels her heart plummet terribly in her chest but continues down the hallway, taking big gulps of air in as moistness gathers at her eyes. She hasn't gotten over it. When she reaches her locker, she leans her back against it and takes in a large breath of the stale high school air. She runs her fingers lightly along the stitches, hidden under patches of indigo hair and continues to breath. _In. out. Breathe Easy, now, Hinata, _She tells herself. A headache is approaching fast. She doesn't want to deal with school right now. She throws her head back and pops two painkillers in her mouth, and then she takes a large sip out of her water bottle.

"Yo," A body slumps against the locker next to hers.

"Hey Kiba," Hinata tries to smile at her friend. She opens her locker door and brings out the book for their shared first class, "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Kiba takes the books from her arms and slams the locker door shut. "How have you been?"

"Alright," She answers honestly, "I've been better."

"How's your head?" Kiba continues his scrutiny looking down at the shorter girl's head. He can't see much as the blue locks of hair are blocking his vision. "Does it hurt?"

"Nah," Hinata tries to take the books back from his arms but fails miserably when Kiba lifts the books above his head and way out of her reach, "I took some pills earlier. The stitches are still itchy though..."

"You're telling me," Kiba's lips pull up to reveal a pointy-toothed smile, he pulls up the sleeve of his cream colored polo to reveal a long scar running down the length of his left arm, "Had to get about fifty stitches. Some asshole tried to slice my arm open."

"Mm," Hinata hums, tracing the scar, she flashes him a smile, "At least you didn't have to get part of your head shaved."

"It'll grow back," Kiba shrugs but Hinata can only frown. Boy hair grows so much faster than girl hair! She can't walk around with a freakin' bald spot for the next year!

"Get an undercut~" Ino pops up beside Hinata suddenly and loops an arm around hers. "It'd look so cute on you!"

"Maybe," Hinata mutters, turning pink, "I-I don't think I could pull it off."

"What's an undercut?" Kiba cuts in.

"You totally could!" Ino says, ignoring the clueless male, "I can do it for you this weekend if you want. And you're hair color is just perfect for it, along with the shape of your face and bone structure," Ino squeals, "Sobadass!"

"I don't think so," Hinata mutters, but she smiles anyway. Her bad mood has disappeared, she grins as the final bell rings and she and Ino sprint off in opposite directions while Kiba walks slowly behind Hinata-like he doesn't care about being late, trying to look cool.

-:- -:- -:-

A couple classes later, Hinata finds herself pleasantly seated in Studio art. She really has missed the smell of paint and clay and the accomplished feeling of finally finishing a piece. The two weeks she's been away had been rather artless and now all she wants to do is catch up on all her in-class projects

She picks up her piece off the drying rack, her nose wrinkles up at the now-dry oil paint. Oil stays wet for ages, it's sort of annoying and sort of beneficial at the same time, but she had really needed to finish blending and adding value before it had dried. Now all she can do it add more paint.

"Looks pretty decent, un."

Hinata jumps from the voice suddenly behind her; she does a 180 and turns to see Iwa Deidara scrutinizing her painting.

"Although, it'd look better blown up." Deidara moves to sit at their shared table, "I used your brushes while you were gone by the way."

Hinata goes red with agitation and turns away from him, she marches over to get her supplies while trying to ignore the annoying blond (Actually in complete uniform today) She seats herself across from him, trying not to look up and choses to stare at her pallet instead. It's full of greys, whites, browns, blues, and little splotches of pinks and yellows. She stares holes into the little plastic container; she'd rather stare at it all day than risk Deidara's teasing gaze.

Eventually she does look up to see Deidara staring at the top of her head. "So.." A smirk plays on the senior's face. Hinata melts a bit on the inside, sure the guy's an asshole, but he's really _really_ cute. "I heard about your little...mission."

Hinata stiffens, he paintbrush stills on canvas. "I don't want to discuss this with y-you." Crap. She had almost gotten away with not stuttering in front of him.

"Shot your first gun, eh, Nezumi-chan? How'd it feel, un?"

Hinata glares at her palette again, trying to think of something Ino or Sakura would say in this situation. Something clever or witty or something. She comes up blank and really just wants to crawl in a hole and die. "...Pulling the trigger...made me feel powerful, but-"

"Scared?" Deidara finishes for her, he has his head on the palm of his hand, with his elbow propped up. He doesn't look interested at all.

Nonetheless, Hinata's eyes widen as she looks up at him in surprise. Deidara just shrugs at her and brings out his portfolio; he brings out his own giant canvas. It's a large painting of what looks like a photo-realistic explosion in the dead of night, illuminating two figures. It's good. It's _really_ good.

Better than Hinata's high flying bird, soaring across the sinking sun. Something bubbles in the pit of her stomach. It's a weird cross between admiration and jealousy. "May I...may I see your piece?"

Deidara shrugs for what seems like the fifteenth time and sort of thrusts the canvas board at her. Hinata marvels at the detail and work put into the piece...for someone who thinks art is fleeting, he sure puts a lot of detail in a piece he would soon destroy. It doesn't make sense to Hinata, it almost makes her angry, really. To destroy such a beautiful piece instead of appreciating it. She hands it back to him with a slight frown.

"You're wondering why I'll destroy it later?" Deidara questions, now his feet are propped up on the table. The guy can't sit still.

"M-Maybe I am," Hinata turns back to her own piece-one that will _not_ be destroyed any time soon. "It's none of my business, really."

"Ah, I was going to tell you why, yeah!" Deidara says, the devious smirk is back.

Hinata looks up quickly but then ducks her head at her sudden interest. Her eyes light up from curiosity, but Deidara can't see them as they're hidden under thick bangs.

"I was going to tell you," Deidara repeats, "But it's none of your business, _really._"

The Hyuga girl just sighs and blows her bangs out her eyes in annoyance. Annoying. Yes, this is what the blond senior is. He's irritating.

"So," Deidara says again, he pushes his hair out his face-he has too much of it, "Heard you busted your head open or something, yeah."

Hinata coughs at the blatant question and touches her head self-consciously. "Uh...yeah. Fractured skull."

"I'm sure it was fun, un. How'd it happen?"

Hinata turns red but tells him anyway. Maybe if she told him he'd shut up already. "I was...um, puking in the toilet and the guy bashes my head against the bowl."

Hinata frowns as obnoxious laughter sprouts from the boy's lips. Fractured skulls are _not_ funny. And getting one from having your head smashed ruthlessly against a toilet bowl after you puked your guts out from fear isn't funny either.

"...How stupid, yeah!" Deidara continues to let out loud laughs at Hinata's injury. Her fingers come to caress the stitches again as Deidara lets the sound of his laugh disrupt the peaceful silence in the room.

"It's not funny." She mutters, turning pink.

"Yeah it is! That's what happens when you join a gang, un! Shit happens!" He seems pleased. What a sadistic weirdo.

Hinata can't help but agree. She turns back to her painting and begins to focus on trying to make hers better than his.

A few minutes pass in silence, which Hinata is grateful for. She'd rather listen to the hum of the class's low chatter than Deidara's remarks and questions anyway. The painting soothes her. Her head doesn't hurt as much and she barely as to think about what's she's doing.

Eventually Kurenai calls her up to talks to her about all the work that she's missed. It isn't too much, since they've been working on a project for the past two weeks but Hinata's forgotten all about the Art Study assignment.

It's that one assignment where she has to team up with Deidara and draw an array of facial expressions. Kurenai was not lenient on the due date. They've had more than a month to get it done, and her part is due in two days, just like everyone else's.

Hinata pokes Deidara in the arm and almost starts to poke her fingers together before she stops herself. "Uh, Deidara. When are we gonna finish that a-art study project?"

"I'll think about it, yeah."

What? That's not an answer!

-:- -:- -:-

"So," Hinata feels annoyed as she follows Deidara out of the classroom. "A-Are we going to get this project done or not?"

"We can do it now. If you could just shut up for a minute, un." Deidara's eyes flash with half-hidden mirth.

"But...we're in school, there's not time to do it now-" Hinata gaps at him as he grabs her elbow and pulls her out of one of the building's side exits.

"Oh! You can shoot a man but you can't skip school, un? You need to get your priorities straight, yeah!"

Hinata's eyes narrow. She really wishes he would _stop saying that._ She doesn't shoot people for fun-and that's something he seems to have gotten stuck in his thick skull. Hinata puffs out her cheeks and follows Deidara into the November cold. She pulls the sleeves of Neji's sweater down over her fingertips and sighs. She stalks after the older male across dying grass, white with frost on a couple hours earlier, and to his cars.

This is probably a bad idea. She should've probably let her worrisome friends know where she's going-especially Neji. And they definitely won't be happy to find that she's with a rival gang member. Nope.

She's an idiot.

With that thought in mind, she takes out her phone and sends a couple text messages to Ino, Kiba, and Neji, letting them know that she went home early because her head had started hurting again.

Ino's texts back immediately because all she does in class is play with her phone-she asks if Hinata wants her to ditch with her. Hinata quickly replies, her fingers sliding over the tiny keys while simultaneously freezing from the cold.

Finally, Deidara and her reach the end of the parking lot to see a little silver car, she slides in the passenger seat and then watches Deidara cross the front of the vehicle and coolly slide into the driver's seat.

The thing about Deidara is that, mostly, he does everything for a reason. And even if he doesn't have a reason at first-he makes up one that makes no sense anyway. So when Hinata asks him why he drives like he's being chased by a thousand cop cars he only says, "I'm outrunning my demons."

This is something Hinata can't really understand because there are no demons behind, in front, or around them. And if he's talking about the kids at school...well he's outrun them already. The Hyuga braces herself against the back of her seat as Deidara slams down on the breaks at a red light. At least he doesn't run stop lights and stop signs.

"So," Deidara starts. Hinata begins to notice that whenever he starts a sentence with 'so' she usually doesn't want to know what follows. "Are you just stupid or do you make it a habit of getting in cars with rival gang members, un?"

"I'm just stupid," Hinata replies, but blush still coats her cheeks as she says it. The ex-heiress sighs and gazes out the window, staring at passing stores and buildings. She honestly has no idea where she's going, but she's learned to just go with it. Taking risks has become a part of her new life here on the west side of Konoha, and she hardly feels scared doing it.

"Yeah, definitely stupid, un. " Deidara drums his fingers on the steering wheel and makes a sharp turn, his blue eyes flash to her face and then back to the road again, "You're lucky I'm a good guy."

Hinata snorts a little under her breath. "B-barely," She says, but a smile tugs at her lips.

Deidara notices this and frowns, "Do you trust me?"

The question sends shivers down Hinata's spine. Here, in this place, trust is a big thing. An important thing. "No." She replies softly, because she doesn't. Because it would be stupid to do so.

"Good."

-:- -:- -:-

About twenty minutes later the pair of WKP students sit across from each other in a tiny art studio. It's Deidara's small place he's rented out. It's actually quite nice, with high ceilings and large windows; the room doesn't seem so small. Hinata gazes around it, her pencil between her teeth, her lips sort of parted in wonder.

It's weird. Deidara has, like, a billion sculptures scattered across the room, about half of them completely destroyed, the other half of them have been reduced to pieces.

They're all beautiful, nonetheless. Maybe that's what Deidara's whole thing is about-destroying something beautiful, yet he gets beauty in return.

Besides the ruined sculptures, there are pieces of...exploded clay everywhere, along with little explosive tags and fireworks. Hinata frowns at the site of all the unusual tools, she's not a sculptor, she's a painter. And she could never do what Deidara does.

"W-Why do you take Studio Art when you think art is fleeting? I mean Studio is for drawing-not that you aren't good at-"  
"I have to take to get into this art college, un." The man replies, walking around the little studio and trying to find a couple canvas boards big enough. "I don't _want_ to take the stupid class, yeah! I'd rather burn everything in that classroom."

"Oh," Hinata mutters. Although their ideas of art are pretty different, she still thinks his is amazing and interesting. She could watch him make art for ages. She accepts the canvas boards and looks at the male curiously. And then she blinks, and goes red, and sputters uncontrollably, "Wh-What-what are-Why are y-you removing your shirt?"

Deidara pauses in the middle of pulling his polo over his head, only his eyes visible through the fabric, "It's hot in here, yeah." He states plainly and tosses the piece of fabric to the side. He wears no wife-beater this time and his entire torso is exposed to her. "Does this," The man sort of gestures to his abs, "Bother you?"

Hinata feels like she's going to pass out. "Um." Her face is flaming. "_Ummm," _He_r_ eyes kind of dart down from his face and to his toned body before returning back to his eyes-which were dancing with amusement. "H-how about we start?"

"Good idea, un." Deidara pulls all his blonde hair up into a ponytail, exposing a hard jaw line and define cheekbones, "What was our assignment again?

Hinata looks away from the male in order to get her thoughts straight, "Um, since I've been out of school, she changed our assignment. We only need two emotion pictures, but one of the two have to be colored."

"Tch." Deidara growls from annoyance, "Okay, We'll do one now, and then take pictures of each other for reference and finish the other at home."

Hinata hums in agreement and they eventually decide which two emotions they would choose; Anger and Happiness.

"Show me your angry face, yeah."

Hinata puffs out her cheeks.

"No. You look constipated. Not angry." Deidara taps his pencil agitatedly against the still-white board.

"Can we c-change the emotion to constipated?"

"Constipated is not an emotion, un," But he cracks a smile. "But c'mon, let's get this over with. Think of a time when you couldn't contain your fury. Like, someone ran over your puppy or something, yeah."

"Alright." Hinata closes her eyes. Thinking about how she would feel if someone ever ran over her dog, she can't envision it correctly because she's never actually had a pet. So, instead she tries to think of something else that would make her furious. Something like...that mission with Sakura. That guy knocking her out, that guy _choking_ Sakura. And suddenly she feels a rush of anger, heat seems to spread across her body, marking her cheeks red-this time not from embarrassment. She balls her hands into fists and grits her teeth. Yes, that mission made her angry, but it also made her sad.

"Whoa, yeah." Deidara responds to the sudden change in Hinata's face. His hands quickly try to capture her expression before it can dissolve, drawing in two large doe eyes, framed by lifted-angry eyebrows. He adds her button nose. His eyes trail lower to her lips, in a weird-sorta cute cross between a scowl and a pout. His hands trace out the curve of her face, delicate and round. He's glad that he's gotten the basic sketch of her expression in, as its fading and being replaced by sadness. He ignores this for the moment and draws in shaky lines for her hair, bangs framing her face and eyes and then piled atop her head in a lopsided bun.

"Alright," the senior tosses the canvas board aside. "I've got the basic sketch. Your turn."

Hinata nods silently and readies her own board for Deidara's angry face. His transformation into angry is almost immediate. His expression turns stony, his back straightens and his posture improves. His lips turn up in a snarl and his nose wrinkles slightly. His eyes, so blue, turn dark and gloomy-yet they somehow seem to hold the same hint of amusement as always. Hinata hurries to draw in eyes, nose, and mouth. The lines of his face follow, a hard jaw-clenched teeth, and pronounced cheekbones. Hinata's eyes travel passed his chin to a long elegant neck and to his straight, stiff arms. She draws the part of his torso that can fit the page, and even begins to add the curve of his cursive tattoo onto the drawing.

Just as she's adding the swoop of his ponytail, the board is yanked from her hands and she sees Deidara grinning at her widely. "Time to get high, un."

Rather than getting flustered, Hinata only raises both eyebrows, "W-Well. Shouldn't we finish first?" She's not against weed or anything, and she's done it about twice with Kiba before, and two more times with Ino after she got her skull fractured, but she really needs to get the project done.

"You'll get better happiness expressions when you're high, yeah." Deidara walks across the room and into some closet, his voice is muffled, and "We'll just take pictures of each other high, and then use it as a reference for later."

Hinata has to admit that it's a pretty good idea, but all Deidara really wants to do is get high. She can't really blame him. Deidara comes back with one blunt for them to share and sits across from her with his legs propped up on his drawing table. He shakes his blonde hair out from the pony tail and puts the blunt between his lips, his eyes close and he breathes in, his whole body relaxing, and his shirtless form slumping forward. When he opens his eyes and passes it to Hinata his eyes are light and his lips curve into the smallest of smiles. Hinata snaps the picture on her phone at that moment.

"You're turn, yeah." Deidara tells her, his fingers absently rolling a piece of clay on the table. "Let your hair down and just relax. Art is not a job, art is sweet relief."

"Sweet relief from what?" Hinata asks, she takes the blunt from him and smiles. She thinks she already knows the answer.  
"From demons, un."

All this talk of demons, she's afraid she'll become one herself.

She takes a hit, then

_Sweet Relief_.

**A/N: Well! This chapter was a bitch to write, but I finally got it done in the 'ams' of the morning and flowing with creative juices from sleep deprivation and caffeine.**

**Anyway, I'm sorry this is late. I wanted to publish during the week but it's so hard for me to even **_**try**_** to write something then, so bear with me.**

**Please review. I was so happy with the feedback I got from the last chapter and want to thank everyone who has followed, faved, and reviewed. I love my readers more than I love Deidara-and that's saying alot.**

**Ciao!**


	16. fifteen

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 15**

A skilled hand follows the curve of hair and graphite materializes the stroke. Hinata frowns at the piece of canvas and runs her fingers through her hair, she needs to get the piece done already.

Deidara's 'happy' face is staring back at her from that white piece of paper. It's missing something. She just can't put her finger on what. His 'happy' face-more accurately 'high' face is half smiling at her as if he's mocking her through the page. Hinata picks up the graphite pencil again to quickly sketch in his hunched over shoulders and slouching torso-much different from her drawing of him being angry. His lips are turned up in a slight grin and his hair falls freely around his face but-**  
**But it's still missing _something._Something Deidara-y.

Hinata gives up for the moment and wanders into her kitchen with food in mind. She sort of wants to eat everything at the moment. That's the thing about weed, after you smoke it, you eat _everything. _Hinata enters her kitchen, she feels so relaxed, like the world could end right then and there and all she'd do is smile and laugh.

****Deidara had called her the 'chill' smoker. He said he expected her to be a giggler, but was pleasantly surprised to see that that had not been the case. Hinata shakes her head in an attempt to stay focused and yanks the refrigerator door open in search of food. Although it's usually at least halfway full, there seems to be less food than usual. Hinata's hands move bottles of cranberry and orange juice out of the way in search of some lunch meat or _something. _Her hands eventually grab at a leftover bag of onigiri and hopefully-still-good sushi from Ino and another container of roasted salmon. She checks the freezer and grins fully when she finds a pint of strawberry icecream.

****With her arms full, she carries the food to the small circular wooden table that sits in the corner. The former heiress plops herself down in the creaky chair and begins to munch on the onigiri slowly before engulfing the rest of them all at once.

**"**Are you pregnant?"

**"**Hmph?" Food falls from Hinata's mouth and all at once she chokes and blushes and sputters. She wipes her face quickly and stares at her mother who's just entered the kitchen.

It's like looking at a ghost. Her mother has always been like a shadow of herself, flickering and waving like a flame. She unstable as a fire in the harsh wind. Her hair, so much like Hinata's, is piled atop her head, and her eyes are a murky brown-nothing like how bright and happy they used to be-there are bags under them, rimmed with dark. Her lips seem to naturally quirk downward. She cannot grab hold of herself. She is slipping through the cracks of reality.

**"**Are you pregnant?" Her mother repeats. She's sober now. Sweet sweet sobriety. It doesn't happen often. Her mother has needed alcohol more than air. She shakes when she doesn't have it.

**"**P-Pregnant?" Hinata coughs again, she is bright red. "N-no. not at all...why do you ask that?"

**"**Mm." Her mother replies. She's next to Hinata in a fluid motion-with grace she lacks when intoxicated-grace only acquired with a Hyuga background. Her eyes, bloodshot red, snap to Hinata's face, "Are you high? Have you been smoking?"

****Hinata does not answer. She swallows a spoonful of ice cream and then replaces the spoon with chopsticks. The sushi is still fresh after all. And if you ignore her, she'll just go away. She'll collapse into herself again and Hinata will not have to deal with the conversation.

****"Hinata. Are you high?" She continues. Hinata continues to chew. Her mother's jaw tenses before, "Hyuga Hinata! I will not tolerate this in my household. I did not raise you like this. Are you listening to me?"

****The chop sticks fall from Hinata's hands, anger rears it's ugly ugly head in the back of the girl's head. Who is this _woman_, her _mother_, to tell her _anything_about how she raised her. Hinata's mouth clamps shut. Her silence will save her a headache.

****Her mother sits down heavily across from her and reaches across the table to stroke the top of Hinata's head, suddenly concerned "I hear you're skipping school. Running around with all these tough guys. I'm _worried_about you. I don't want you to fall, Hinata. When you start the fall, nothing can bring you back. _Nothing."_Her mother's hand takes holds of Hinata's hand and squeezes, tears gather in the corners of her eyes, Hinata tries not to sigh. "Why are you doing this to me Hina? You're my sunshine baby, why are you making life so _hard_? I do everything for you, and this is what you do in return?"

****In an instant, Hinata removes her hand from the woman's grip, takes the icecream, and goes to her room. There she goes again, back on that track, a broken record singin' the same damn song. Her mother plays the victim. Always the victim, forever the victim, so everything is magically _Hinata's_fault.

****Maybe she is falling. Falling in this place isn't hard. What's hard is finding someone to catch you. If you're not careful you'll waste away in this wasteland that is Konoha. How fitting. The city sucks the life out of everyone, and in the end, everyone falls.

-:- -:- -:-

****

The red head stares at his roommate who had practically _glided _into the room. Sasori watches him sigh and plop down on his bed, his fingers blindly searching for something under the his bed. Finally, he pulls out a tattered sketchbook and graphite pencil, his fingers beginning to make perfect stokes across the page.

****Finally the red head asks, "Are you high?" He continues to stare at Deidara with boredom as he continues to make frantic lines across the page.

**"**No, un. I mean yes." Deidara rips the page out of the notebook, "Yes, I am, un."

****Sasori blinks at him. "Ooookay. High on what exactly?"

**"**Weed, yeah."

**"**Really?"

**"**Ye-_es." _Deidara rolls his eyes at Sasori. "Will you hand me my portfolio I just dumped on the floor over there, yeah?"

****Sasori sighs and obliges the blonde's orders out of simple curiosity. Deidara only gets like this when he has some 'amazing' art idea. Sasori glances at Deidara's water-damaged sketchbook full of sculpture ideas to see him drawing...a girl.

**"**Um." Sasori drops the leather portfolio at the blonde's feet. "It's just...some girl."

**"**I know right, yeah." Deidara says again, clearly the girl isn't too important to him. Sasori is even more confused.

**"**So...why are you so excited...over some girl?"

**"**You wouldn't get it," Deidara's blue eyes flash over to Sasori, annoyed. The blue is hazy from the high but still full of concentration.

**"**So, explain it to me." Sasori says rudely. His eyes glance over Deidara and his concentrated form before becoming bored. Him drawing some girl is not interesting.

**"**Okay, so I got this idea for a sculpture." Deidara is talking really fast like if he doesn't spit the words out he'll forget them. "-You know for my big show/debut for that art school-un?" Deidara rips out another page and begins to draw more frantic lines that might as well be scribbles. "I was thinking, I'd do a glass sculpture, of this girl. Because-see it's like she's made of glass."

"Uh-" Sasori frowns, glass sculptures are difficult. Even more so if you're trying to make a _person. _

**"**-Out of fire-glass, right?" Deidara continues, "I'd set it on fire to symbolize, like the burning of innocence or some shit, and then the whole thing will explode, un!"

**"**Don't you think that'd be dangerous?" Sasori says with raised eyebrows. Deidara's idea is interesting...and knowing him, he could make it work. But Sasori can't understand why Deidara can't do anything without blowing something up. "So what does this girl have to do with it?"

**"**She has like the perfect...everything for it, yeah." The other male is calmer now. He reaches into his jacket and brings out another blunt. "I don't know what it is about her, but when I saw her, I thought about this project, yeah." He puts the blunt between two lips and smiles, "They can't turn me down with a project like this."

**"**True enough," Sasori agrees, eying the blonde strangely. The red head opens Deidara's portfolio and pulls out the only two boards in it. He squints at the two pictures, both of some vaguely familiar girl making somewhat awkward expressions-well in the second one she's definitely high. Deidara seems to have drawn her with her head thrown up and hair falling around her face and shoulders, her eyes are squinted almost closed, and her smile is so big it almost takes up her whole face. _Interesting_, Sasori muses. He tries to recall the girl in the pictures before frowning.

**"**Deidara," Sasori rubs his forehead. Leave it to Deidara and he will fuck anything up, "You know who this is, right?"

****Deidara glares at him and lays back on his bed, tossing the sketchbook back under it. "Yeah. Hyuga Hinata."

**"**Yeah _The Leaf's _bitch." Sasori closes his eyes, "What are you doing hanging with her? It's only going to cause problems." Sasori just feels annoyed at having to tell the idiot that.

****Deidara's eyes snap to Sasori's face, intense and annoyed. "It was just for an art project. Calm down, un. I'm not fucking her or anything."

****Sasori rolls his eyes and takes the blunt from his friend, "Yeah, but it'd be just like you to do something like that."

**"**Well? She is hot, un."

****Sasori shrugs, true enough, but the girl is definitely not his type. _Anyway, _**"**Just don't screw anything up. We're in a delicate situation with that gang right now. We don't need you messing anything up."

**"**When have I done something so stupid, un?" Deidara's lips quirk up and he closes his eyes " Besides, she just some girl. When have I been one to fall for anyone?"

-:- -:- -:-

****The day is never ending. Hinata stares at her ceiling, counting all the cracks resting there. She doesn't want to be in the house anymore so she shrugs on a jacket and some jeans, grabs her portfolio and heads for Ino's place a couple blocks down.

****When she gets there, she's surprised to see Ino starting her car, and Ino is surprised to see her jogging towards her at ten p.m. "Hinata," Ino says, "What are you doing here?"

****Hinata just shrugs and lets herself into Ino's car.

**"**I'm heading to HQ. I could've given you a ride if you called."

**"**Oh yeah," Hinata tosses the portfolio in the back seat and closes her eyes, "Didn't think about that. Why are you heading there so late anyway?"

****Ino slides into the drivers seat, eying her friend with worry. "I left my laptop there and I need it for homework-Shikamaru's also up there tonight and I might get him to do my math homework."

****Hinata snorts, "He doesn't even do his own math homework."

****Ino deflates and pulls out of the driveway, "That's true. Maybe He'll tutor me though," Ino glances at Hinata for a millisecond, "So, why are you out so late?"

****The Hyuga sinks into the leather and twirls a piece of hair around her finger, "Got in a fight with my mom, didn't want to be there anymore."

**"**About what?"

**"**Skipping school," She puffs out her cheeks, "She found out I was smoking too. By the way do you have any cigarettes?"

****Ino stares at Hinata for a while before shaking her head. It's still the same Hinata, just with an...altered way of thinking. "Maybe later," Ino says, "Maybe when you have a clearer head."

****Hinata doesn't argue and just stares out the window. She doesn't seem bothered by Ino's resistance, just a bit pensive.

****Ino frowns with her eyes glued to the road, when she first met Hinata she was worried about even entering a club underage, would never skip school, and had never ridden a public bus, but now...now she's changed. And Ino doesn't know whether it's good or bad. She glances at her friend again, with her hair down, and a frown in place. She's different. She's been through things she'd wished she hadn't now.

****There's always a way out, but she's in too deep to even consider the option.

****Ino's blue eyes cloud with worry but she concentrates on the road, one thought in mind; Hinata will be fine with time. She'll be okay.

-:- -:- -:-

****In the serenity of her own unit, Hinata cries. The conversations with her mother has weighed down her heart and her mind. Her hanging around a rival gang member, and even getting high with him, makes her heart clench with guilt and apprehension. She wipes the tears away with a quick swipe of the back of her hand and lays back on the carpeted floor.

****She sniffles and then covers her face with both hands. She is losing herself, she is slipping through the cracks like her mother once had. She's never this much despair over herself before. Before, she knew who she was and she knew the path her future would take. Now, she doesn't even know what tomorrow will bring.

****She had always wanted adventure. She had longed for change.

****She sighs again, wiping away more and more tears as she sits up. She doesn't want to cry anymore. She doesn't want to waste away in her own shitty unit while everyone else is socializing somewhere else.

****She stands, attempts to fix herself, and walks out of her garage in hopes of something- not a drug or substance- that could help her feel herself again.

****

**A/N: I cut this chapter short a bit, there was supposed to be Sasuke in here somewhere. Anyway, come next chapter, you will have him and more! I'm getting excited for some chapters coming up but that's four or five chapters away.**

******Anwaaay, review please!**


	17. sixteen

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 17**

Sasuke watches the man across from him grin and pocket his money. The Uchiha almost has to roll his eyes at the man's arrogant grin; it was just drug dealing, nothing to be too proud of. The Uchiha is too annoyed with the whole process to even nod back at the guy.

Sasuke fingers the bag of Coke resting in his pocket and stifles a smile; he's half excited. The first and last time he did Coke was the best high he'd ever had, he just wants to experience it again. It's pretty helpful to him now, since his life has started to suck again. He won't get addicted though. Uchiha's don't get addicted to things. They can abuse things all they like, but becoming addicted had never been a problem.

Maybe that's a really overconfident way to look at drug abuse.

"Pleasure doing business with you," the dealer responds "I've got harder stuff like meth and acid if you wanna give it a try..."

"Tch. Go away." Sasuke tries to hide a snort; he's not stupid enough to get hooked on meth and not curious enough to even touch LSD. Cocaine is enough for him, and he really doesn't want to pay for all that other crap that's more dangerous; Cocaine is a danger in itself.

The Uchiha walks away from the dealer and gets into his car a few feet away. When he slides into the driver's seat, and receives a chastising look from his blonde friend, Sasuke can only roll his eyes at him.

"Duuuude." Naruto begins, "You really shouldn't start doing that shit. You can him get addicted pretty easily."

Sasuke glances at him out of the corner of his eye and shrugs, "If I'm lucky I'll overdose so I won't have to listen to your ass act like my mother anymore."

"Sasuke seriously." But Naruto cracks a smile anyway, "You can't rely on this stuff. And I heard that the low you get on this stuff is fucking terrible. It just makes you want to take more."

"Look Naruto, I appreciate you playing mama-bear or whatever, but I know what I'm doing. I know the effects. I just got it because I'm bored."

Naruto pouts, "Fine. But if I catch you asking for more I'm kicking your ass."

-:- -:- -:-

At ten o'clock on a school night, there aren't many people still at headquarters, but Sasuke still decides to wait until much later to indulge in his drug at home. He slips out his car and unlocks the large gate before getting back in and driving around to the garage unit that Ino usually occupies. He usually makes Naruto open the gate but somehow he managed to fall asleep within five minutes-and it's always too troublesome to even _try_ to wake him up.

Sasuke slips out his car again, leaving the idiot to sleep and hopefully freeze to death in Sasuke's vehicle. He makes his way across the icy road to get to one of the units, hopefully warm. With December nearing and temperatures dropping, heaters were being bought in bulk just keep units warm. Ino and Sakura even suggested central heating.

"Hey Sasuke," Ino grins from Shikamaru's open unit. She's sitting on the carpeted floor going through a box labeled '_X-mas DeCorAtions!_' and is frequently plugging in different sets of lights to see if they still work. "What's up?"

Sasuke shoves his hands in his pocket, "Nothing much." He glances at Shikamaru's hunched over form sitting between rows of books and raises an eyebrow, "What's he doing?"

"Checking my homework!" Ino grins brightly, as if that's a big accomplishment-which it is, knowing Shikamaru. "Are you busy?"

"Not really." Although he doesn't really want to do whatever Ino is about to ask him to. She already has Shikamaru checking her homework-he wonders how she even managed to get him to do _anything_.

"Wanna go get Hinata and start helping put these decorations up?" She holds up a row of lights and smiles widely. "Before it gets really cold?"

"Not really." Sasuke repeats, but he shrugs and grabs of decorations from the blonde. "But I have nothing better to do. Where's Hyuga?"

Ino shrugs, "After I drove her here, she kinda...disappeared. Don't be mean to her, Sasuke, she wasn't herself earlier." The girl frowns from concern before turning back to decoration-sorting.

Sasuke shrugs and leaves in search of the Hyuga girl. If Ino's worried enough about her but isn't with her now, she's probably fine. He sighs and watches his breath in the cold, trying to think of where Hinata could possibly be.

He checks her unit first, lifting the metal door up he only finds darkness. He flips the light on to be sure but only finds paint and a few portfolios leaning against the wall. He turns off the light and shuts the door before taking out a cigarette. To be honest, he hates the things. He started smoking when he was thirteen, just because he thought it made him look cool. And now he's hooked (Not exactly addicted, Uchihas _don't _ get addicted, remember?) he likes how it makes him less tense, like smoking that little cancer stick makes him calm. He doesn't want to give it up, because to be honest, it really_ does_ make him look cool_._

Wondering where the Hyuga girl might have gone, he shoves his hands in his pocket and idly walks around the compound, he looks to the sky, sort of a dark reddish purplish color due to all clouds and the city's light ruining the view of the stars. He wants to take a trip to the country one day-somewhere far away, far far from all the violence, and gangs and straight up immaturity and power struggles. He wants to see the lights, not the city ones, the stars. He'd try to count them all, and learn astronomy and astrology both, but most importantly, he'd find a release from this world and all the shit he and his friends have gotten themselves into.

Suddenly he collides with something, fortunately for him, it wasn't a very hard thing and he remains perfectly grounded. Unfortunately for the thing, it falls to the ground.

Sasuke looks down at the offending 'thing,' to see pearly eyes staring back at him from the cold pavement. He sighs and puts out his hand to pull her back up. She grabs it and he pulls her back up and overlooks her.

"S-sorry..." Hinata mutters, she pulls her sweater over her fingers.

"Hn." Sasuke glances at her from the corner of his eye, "How's your head?"

"Better," she mutters lowly, falling into step beside the Uchiha, noticing her semi-depressed look Sasuke hands her his cigarette.

She takes it in her hands, rolling it between two fingers as if she's contemplating something. She almost brings it to her lips but she shakes her head and hands it back to the Uchiha, a frown etched across her face.

Sasuke raises a dark eyebrow, "Problem?"

"I've...just decided that I don't need substances to make me feel better anymore...They can destroy you...I mean...I've seen i-it happen before."

"Hm." Sasuke unconsciously brushes his fingers against the coke in his jean jacket pocket, "Why are you feeling bad anyway?"

"I just...feel like I'm losing myself." She rubs her hands together self-consciously, "I don't know who I am anymore."

Sasuke watches her kick the dirt hard, a frown crashing over her features, almost too sudden and violent. He sighs. He doesn't want her to like, be depressed or whatever, but he doesn't exactly want to _comfort_ her either.

He's _really_ bad at comforting people. He tried it once. When Jiraiya died and Naruto was left alone, he'd attempted it; but it only turned out to be awkward and lame as hell. Eventually he let Sakura do the talking while simultaneous feeling worthless.

Finally he knows what he should say, "Do you still bite your nails too much?"

Hinata's frown is replaced by confusion, she looks down at short chipped nails and goes red, "Uh...yeah?"

"Do you still watch cartoons in the morning with chai tea and onigiri?" Sasuke is a bit concerned about the how and the why he's remembering these details, but decides not to concern himself too much at the moment.

Hinata bobs her head up and down, still confused about where this conversation is going.

"Do you still draw and paint?" And twiddle your fingers when you're nervous, and do an agitated little hum when you're mad, and sing loudly when you're happy and carefree, and poke your cheeks out when annoyed, and eat instant ramen without the flavor, and bite your lips when you want to say something really bad, and draw on your arms, and blush bright pink, and say that you only have one best friend and that his name is Uchiha Sasuke?

Sasuke pauses for a millisecond. His fingers tighten on the cigarette, eyebrows crashing over his eyes like a heavy rain cloud. He really shouldn't remember all these little things about her. They were friends when they were _nine_ it wasn't anything _too_ amazing. He puts the cigarette between his lips, his fingers clenching and unclenching. He shouldn't remember these things, these tiny details, he shouldn't _care._ He sighs and watches the cigarette smoke combine with her breath as they both hit the cold air in silence.

"Uh...S-Sasuke?" Hinata ducks her hair and rubs her arms, yeah; it's the same Hinata he's always known.

"What?" He snaps his head towards her.

"I said yes..."

"Hn," he acknowledges, "Well, you're still the same Hinata I remember." He says in a monotone. He lifts his shoulders and then lets them fall in a halfhearted shrugs, "You think too much." Sasuke comes to a pile of boxes next to a wall of a Unit and begins to climbs them without looking back. He steps up onto a recycling bin before pulling himself up to the roof and keeps walking. He disappears from Hinata's sight for a few seconds before he reappears, looking annoyed. "Are you coming or not?"

Hinata turns red and scampers after her old friend. She steps on top of cardboard boxes before coming to stand on the taller recycling bin like Sasuke had. Now here's the hard part; she has to pull herself up. Never good at upper body strength, Hinata grabs the ledge and tries to jump in order to get the top half of her body over. It didn't work.

Sasuke grabs her arm and pulls her up after him, making an agitated noise in the back of his throat. They walk along the roofs of their connected units, looking to the sky as if they're waiting for a star, just one, to give them something to hope for.

The silent prayer isn't heard. They pray the same things, but they will never know. Maybe if they'd pray together the stars and moon would show themselves and grant them one last wish.

"Do you miss it?"

Sasuke looks at her blankly. Does he miss what? _What exactly? _Because there are so many things Sasuke can _miss_. He can miss his old home, old school, old friends, old _money._ He can miss his family, massacred. He can miss Itachi; locked away in jail, hopefully. No one really knows where the crazy bastard is anymore. He can even miss her.

So he repeats the question, "Do _you_ miss it?"

Hinata looks at him blankly. Does she miss what? _What exactly?_ Because there are so many things Hinata can _miss._ She can miss her old home, her martial arts training, her old art teachers. She can miss her family, when they were whole. Uncle Hizashi, Neji, her mother, and all. She can even miss him.

So she shakes her head, "Sorry, that _is_ a really stupid question."

"No stupid questions. Only stupid people." Sasuke lights another cigarette.

Hinata continues to look at him blankly.

"That was a joke. Ha-ha. Laugh."

Sasuke commanding her to laugh didn't really make his 'joke' any funnier.

"You never answered, do I miss _what_ exactly?" Sasuke says, mildly curious. His memories of her had been locked away along with the pain that goes with the loss of his family. Now that she's here in his life...it's like she's opened a compartment to his brain and pulled out a jumbled mess he calls his feelings.

He's on his third cigarette and he doesn't feel like stopping any time soon.

"Do you miss your childhood? With me..." She sounds so unsure of herself it hurts. "Hiding under tables, playing ninja...being kids."

"Hn." He pauses and then, "Yeah. My mother called us the 'terrible two' when we broke her lamp from she's just bought from Paris," The memory hurt like a gunshot wound to the arm. He's picking scabs now; tearing them and watching them bleed. Undoing all the work he's done to heal.

Maybe he's been healing wrong.

Hinata giggles like bells, "Oh yeah!" They stop where the row of units ends. Ino's bag of decorations left forgotten. And they sit on the ledge, and they talk. Their legs dangle over the gray ground and their arms circle themselves to try to stay warm. Hinata grips the edge from excitement, either exhilarated from their height or happy from their conversation. They speak lowly, Sasuke's voice steady and constant like the ocean's tides, and Hinata's light and comforting like the moon pulling them along.

The clouds part above them, and maybe, just maybe will they have time for one last wish.

-:- -:- -:-

**An:**  
***whistles innocently* is that foreshadowing i hear? Hmmm**

**A couple of things;**  
**1.) THIS IS SO LATE OH GOD. I hope the SasuHina makes up for it**  
**2.) I will try to update on time this week buuuuut...**  
**3.) ...I have a lot of stuff going in (papers, projects, finals) so my updates will be more spaced out until I go on Christmas Break**  
**4.) Originally...this chapter was gonna be way longer, and way more dramatic. But I needed to give them a moment together. Maybe in the next chapter I'll explain Sasuke's behavior a bit.**  
**5.) This isn't really relevant to you guys but...I've change my plot outlines and what I'm putting in my chapters so much its getting out of hand!**

**6.) Anyone want to do a cover for this fic?**  
**7.) I know it's late but review! I love you all ^^**


	18. seventeen

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 17**

Hinata wakes to sunshine streaming through her windows...and Ino going through her closet. She fights a smile, by now she's used to the Yamanaka girl somehow ending up in her house and being...disruptive. She snuggles under her blankets a bit more...today she feels...better.

"So. You and Sasuke did _no_ decorating that night two days ago. So what did you do?" Ino's voice comes. Hinata can practically see the blonde's inquiring grin.

Hinata hides a smile and tucks her head underneath her pillow. Pretending that she's sleep has never worked in the past, but it's worth a try.

Hinata lets out a startled cry as Ino's body slams on top of hers in a flurry of motion. "I know you're not asleep!"

Hinata squeaks at Ino's added weight, "...get off!"

"Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!" Ino sings, bouncing on top of Hinata's back.

"Can't...breathe..." Hinata tries to push the blonde off of her, "Need air."

"Tell me!" Ino continues to bounce. For a girl as skinny as Ino...she's kinda heavy.

"Ow my head!"

Ino is off of her in a heartbeat and Hinata smirks at her before shoving the covers off legs and rushing into the bathroom. She shuts the door with a triumphant slam and a grin.

"Not funny, Hyuga!" Ino raves, but Hinata can hear the smile in her voice. "C'mon tell me..."

"How'd you get in my house?"

"Your mom. Stop changing the subject!"

Hinata opens the door with a sigh, "We didn't _do_ anything, Ino. We just...talked."  
"Did you make out?"

"No."

"Did you hold hands?"

"No."

"Did you even do _anything?_"

"I already told you 'no,'" Hinata goes pink anyway. "We just _talked..._it was nice."

"Do you like him?"

"No, we're just friends. I guess. I mean, we were friends before, but I don't think that counts..." HInata rambles mindlessly.

"Friends before?" Ino quirks up curiously, "What do you mean?"

"W-we were childhood friends. He was m-my best friend." Hinata goes pink again, "But...we're both so different now. I'm not completely sure _what_ I feel for him."

Ino nods, her head swimming with the new information. "If you got the chance to love him...would you?"

"I already l-love him," it seems as if her face can not turn any redder, "-Not like _in_ love with him or anything, but as my former childhood friend." Hinata throws her hair up into a bun and slips into a pair of skinny jeans, "Anyway! What's on the agenda for today?"

"We have a meeting," Ino sighs through her nose and tosses Hinata a pale blue cardigan and cream infinity scarf that she took her time picking out for the Hyuga. "Shikamaru texted me this morning and told me to pick you up. He says its bad news. Like we need more of that." She twists her hair and then lets it fall, "On the bright side...Chouji's getting better. His mom won't let him out the house yet. I can't blame her."

The exit Hinata's with on a little awkwardness. Hinata runs into her mother on the way to the front door.

They stare at each other.

Hinata's mother's mouth opens as if to say something, but Hinata leaves without saying goodbye.

Ino gives her a cigarette. She hangs her head out the window and enjoys it.

-:- -:- -:-

Akatsuki, Akatsuki, Akatsuki. They seem to be the real problem here. At least, this is what Hinata is getting from this meeting. She wonders what that means for Deidara and Ino, the cousins in rival gangs. Or even her and Deidara, but then she thinks about what her and Deidara actually _are_ together and why she's even pairing her and Deidara together in the same sentence.  
And that leads her to her next thought; her and Sasuke. What are they exactly? Friends? More than friends? Ha. Hinata can honestly tell herself that she wouldn't mind hanging around him for a while.

Deeming all of her thoughts as poisonous, she puts her head down on the table in the meeting room, letting Shikamaru and Sasuke and Neji and Naruto's voices fade out. She can ask Ino or Kiba to tell her everything later.

"...turf violations. Hebi was caught by the police for illegal weapon exchange. It's about time to be honest, they aren't exactly good with being inconspicuous..."

Hinata fades out again as Shikamaru drones on and on looking like he'd rather be asleep too. Poor guy.

"Gang wars!" Is the phrase that wakes Hinata up fully. It isn't because of how dreadful and scary it sounds, it's because Naruto is a loud and annoying person who shouts everything he says.  
Someone mutters, "Not another one..." and Hinata can't be bothered to find out who said it.

"Gaara and his gang, Suna, want to help us out against the Akatsuki. Apparently Deidara tried to kill him and he's really pissed off." Naruto continues. Hinata sort of jumps at the mention of Deidara and then contemplates punching herself in the face. "The Suna turf has been invaded countless times. Temari told me she plans on killing everyone if we don't intervene soon."

Shikamaru lets out a snort and allows a smile and Ino just rolls her eyes and huffs next to Hinata. An interesting development. Hinata stares at her annoyed expression and decides that she'll have to ask about it later.

Minutes later, Sasuke stands, looking cold and morbid as ever. He speaks, muttering words that will send cold fear through everyone, "We have a snitch."

_A snitch? _The words run through Hinata's head as she glances at the shocked look on her friends faces. A snitch.

"More accurately a traitor. With us."

A traitor. But-But who would do that?

"Things about us...are getting out to people who shouldn't know. Things only _we_ know about. Our setups are link from information on the _inside._ Do you guys understand that?"

The silence becomes unnerving. Sasuke lets his words sink in, killing all of them inside like slow poison. Hinata's heart jumps up to her throat, her throat tightens, and the rhythm of her heartbeat echoes through her head. All she can do is grab onto Ino's hand beside her and squeeze.

The question of trust is left hanging in the air, solemn, haunting, like a noose from a tree.

"There are only twelve of us here, and one of us is un-loyal." Hinata watches his fists clench and glances up at his expressionless face. Almost expressionless. She can notice the downward tip of the corner of his lip, and the way his eyebrows draw together. His eyes are another story, full of disbelief and betrayal. For a moment, he bites his lip and sighs, and then it's all gone. All of his emotion is wash away like the tides of change. "If I find out who you are, I will personally handle the situation."

Hinata swallows the lump in the throat. The message laying underneath his words implicate murder. To die a traitor's death is the most un-honorable of them all. She remembers her father uttering that phrase at one point, but she can't remember why.

Sasuke leaves the room and Naruto follows slowly after him. One by one the room fills out; Neji passes and rests a hand on Hinata's arm before continuing by, muttering soft words to Tenten. No one blamed anyone. It was just...quiet. Hauntingly so. It was like watching a car accident happen right before your eyes. Tragic.

Hinata watches Sasuke's head duck and fingers search idly for a cigarette in his pocket. He runs a hand through his hair once before straightening, squaring his shoulders, and setting his jaw. She assumes that he doesn't want to show how hurt he is over the situation. She suddenly feels the need to go to him, to calm him down. After all, they're friends now right? Just friends, nothing more.

Hinata keeps telling that to herself.

_"Nothing more_," She mutters to herself, as the words roll off her tongue, she believes it. If only for a moment.

-:- -:- -:-

"This is so _fucked up!_" Naruto punches the wall in Sasuke's own personal unit. He's crying. Sasuke rolls his eyes, the dobe has never been one to keep his emotions to himself.

"Tch." Sasuke turns his head to stare at the new hole in the wall, courtesy of the blonde. "Go blow off steam somewhere else."

"Who do you think it is?" Naruto's voice lowers to a whisper, his fists are clenched, and his hands shake and quake like the earth on a bad day.

Sasuke doesn't want to have this conversation at the moment, "I don't know. The best assumption would be our newest member; Hyuga." As he says it, he knows it can't be true. Hinata is anything but a traitor. She was on the verge of tears the minute the news of one had left his lips.

"I don't think it's her, man." Naruto shakes his head, "I was sorta hoping it'd be her, you know? I like her and all, but we haven't known her for as long. If it was her...it'd hurt less."

_Yeah, for you._ Sasuke thinks to himself. To be quite honest, Hinata had been an important person in his life, her return has set his memories ablaze. If she betrayed him...he doesn't know what he would do. It'd be similar to the Itachi situation.

Sasuke has trust issues. Everyone knows it. No one talks about it. This person, this _bastard,_ who has managed to break Sasuke's trust after they went through such great lengths to gain it- will regret it for the rest of their lives.

After a while, Naruto goes home and leaves Sasuke to his own devices. So what does he do? He gets high.

Not on the crack he had bought two days before, although he's dying to try it again, he brings out a little baggie of Marijuana and rolls up.

Sasuke stares at the ceiling fan, trying to think of _anything_ to distract him. And like clockwork, his thoughts return to Hinata. Always Hinata, for some reason. He can't fathom why. She's not _that_ great.

But then, he can think of several reasons why she _is _great. Her body is one.

Bits of rational thoughts mix with under-the-influence rambles and a battle rages in his head.

He barely notices Sakura enter the room, in this orange dress thingy that has to be too short for comfort in this winter cold. She seats herself next to him, sort of exchanging a sad smile, and some words about the betrayal of a member. She asks to pass the blunt and Sasuke does. He doesn't care anymore.

Eventually he just rolls another one and forgets that the Haruno is even there.

But he can't stop thinking of the Hyuuga. As much as he wants to stop, he can't.

He takes a drag and closes his eyes.

First there's her legs, for someone short-ish she seems to have legs that go on for miles. _Summer time fine._ Even though it's winter, even though she's nothing like summer at all. His thoughts are all jumbled now.

Her legs-are a creamy color, not too pale and not too tan and have the perfect shape.

Shape.

Her shape is perfect. She's curvy, as in, curvy in the _right _places. Then there's to the swell of her chest that she so modestly tries to cover.

Her modesty- her innocence...makes her all the more appealing.

Sasuke grunts and takes another drag; he really forgot why he was even trying to get her out of his head in the first place.

He doesn't know when it happened but he feels himself grow stiff. He grunts again, about to take care of himself. After that: food. He's starving.

Sakura notices; in her too-tight bright orange dress that goes terribly with her hair color, she somehow thinks that Sasuke is just happy to see her. She sort of scoots over closer to the Uchiha, jade eyes gleaming. She's smiling and wiggling her hips like the tent in his pants is all her fault.  
Maybe it's Sasuke's fault when she drops to her knees in front of him to take care of his little 'problem.'

After all he didn't stop her.

She wanted it after all.

Besides, when her lips are upon him and his fingers go to her hair, it's not pink he sees...it's indigo.

And he tells himself it's not wrong because the pinkett started it.

He tells himself he's not wrong for putting his trust in his 'friends.'

He tells himself he's not wrong.

_He's not wrong. Ever._

He's Sasuke fucking Uchiha, he's never wrong.

-:- -:- -:-

The next day, as Hinata reflects on her life choices, she finally decides that she doesn't really like Sasuke at all.

He's demanding, he's confusing, he's mean, and he's indecisive. Everything Hinata _doesn't need._

She still has no idea what she even _feels_ for the man. All she knows is that if she starts feeling _more_ she will shoot herself in the face.

She's confused. And she doesn't want to like him at all. She wanted to try this whole 'Hey let's be friends forever again' thing, but it's really not working out through all the confusion, misconceptions, and hurt.

She'd decided she would try to comfort him yesterday, but didn't think she'd walk in to see _Sakura going down on him._ They hadn't even noticed her, and luckily, she hightailed it out of there before she could faint or go, 'hahahaha. _whoops!' _and collapse.

Needless today, she and Sakura aren't exactly getting along anymore. She'll miss the few weeks of tranquility they both had.

But besides that, it was more like a nice slap in the face when she opened the door to see that. She sort of felt like throwing up her lunch on the both of them.

So now, she is confused. She's decided that attempting to be Sasuke's friend is causing her mental health issues that she doesn't need at the moment.

So she's decided (with the help and guidance of Ino) to tell him that he's too fucking confusing for Hinata to be friends with. She needs to get her feelings together, so she's decided to distance herself from him, for moment.

They Hyuga decides that it's clear that she cares more for him than vice versa, and she's decided a long time ago that she would stop being the person that was always stepped on.

So, she has something to say to him (Ino ran through with her what _exactly _she should say. Bless her.) and she makes her way to him and Naruto's shared apartment.

Upon her arrival, Naruto opens the door, looking tired and annoyed. His expression turns slightly alarmed when he sees Hinata standing there with a determined look on her face. "...Uh hey Hinata..."

"Hey Naruto," Hinata mutters, she lets herself in, much to her and Naruto's chagrin. "I need to speak to Sasuke."

"Uh," Naruto scratches the back of his head and then shakes it, "He's sick..."

Her eyes narrow as Naruto shakes his head again.

"He's not himself….'says that the demons are playing around in his head again."

It seems that Hinata's eyes cannot narrow anymore before they are closed. She's been practicing this look in the mirror for days. She hopes it's a dangerous look…She remembers Deidara telling her in art that she's not capable of it but she just thinks he's-

No. She can't think of him right now. Not when she's visiting Sasuke. '

"He's in his room?" She inquires as Naruto flinches. He doesn't want to lie, but it's best if Hinata doesn't see Sasuke.

But she ignores his look and walks past him. Past the living room that is definitely lived in, the kitchen that is never cleaned, Naruto's room, and the spare room that always holds members of their group of friends who hole up there from time to time. They either have nowhere else to go or no one else to go to.

Finally she reaches Sasuke's door. So unlike Naruto's and the spare room's door in the fact that it was simple and bare. Naruto's is filled with papers and posters, for whatever reason. The other room has writing all over it; names of the frequent occupants and other nonsense such as swear words and games of tic-tac-toe.

She stands there for a few seconds, contemplating on whether to open the door or to just go back 'home.' She'd rather not go there. Her mother is up and sober. She's been nosing around the house for the last two days, trying to speak with her.

She opens the door hesitantly and steps into the plain room. It's clean, cleaner than anything else she's come in contact with for a while. There are only three colors, really; navy blue, black, and white. Against the bland color scheme, Hinata spots Sasuke immediately. On the bed in the corner, directly under the window lies Sasuke. He's in deep contrast with the dark blue comforter, his pale skin almost glowing from the moon casting light through his window. He's shirtless, his hair a mess around his head, and there are long shadows across his face and body.

He's beautiful.

Hinata lets a soft gasp escape her lips as she nears him. He appears to be sleeping, his face looks relaxed almost peaceful…and then she pulls back.

Because she notices the needle and holes in his arms.

And suddenly, Sasuke is not sleeping anymore.

"Hinata." He says, his words are not as sharp and cold as they usually are. His eyes are wide though, exhilarated from the crack. He's loud when he says, "Get out."

Hinata covers her mouth with both hands, suddenly shaking, she's reaching for him, "S-Sasuke- you can't-"

"Don't fucking tell me what to do." He flings his arm that was over his chest to his side and closes his eyes with a big exaggerated sigh. This Sasuke is different. "I won't get addicted."

"Sasuke, I don't care. This…this isn't good for you, you can't ke-" She feels tears gather at the corners of her eyes. She can't do this; this is why they can't be friends. She needs a rock, and maybe Sasuke just needs a needle.

She can't think like this right now. Tears continue to gather in her eyes but they haven't fallen yet.

"Shut the fuck up." His words make her flinch. He's sitting up as if the movements are painful to him. He grabs her face and pulls it towards him, a smile stretching across his features. The crack has altered his senses and given him false confidence. The thing is; Sasuke is confident enough without the added drug. Now he's just crazy.  
She's surprised when his mouth touches hers. His tongue knows no bounds as it slides its way into her mouth. Hinata makes a noise of protest but Sasuke's hand does not release her, his other hand is coming to her mass of dark hair and pulling. He doesn't seem to notice her struggles as he pushes their faces together. Finally it is over and Hinata is free, her chest is heaving. She tries to move away but Sasuke's hand is still in her hair. He looks her in the eye with his dark eyes, foggy with drugs and slowly lets a word slide off his tongue and past his lips, and as he is satisfied with his 'speech' his lips curls into a smirk. "Bitch."

Hinata moves from his grips. Her eyes are wide and her form shaking. Before she can control her own limbs her hand is moving across his face and a sharp sound fills the silence. There's another sound after, a release of breath, like the air was knocked from someone's lungs. She doesn't know if it was her or Sasuke but soon realizes that it was her as tears are pouring down her face and sobs rack her body.

Sasuke ignores her and falls back against his bed. He doesn't look angry. In fact, he looks highly amused. That just makes Hinata angrier, and causes her sobs to be louder. "Shut up." He snaps suddenly, then the needle is in his hand and he's holding it out to her. "Shut the fuck up and take it."

Hinata doesn't move. She stares at Sasuke, stares at his outstretched hand, and then back to his face. Then she turns around and leaves.

Going home doesn't seem so bad anymore.

She doesn't know what to think, she doesn't know what to _do._ Her thoughts are all jumbled in her head, there's a _bloody fucking war_ raging in her mind, and she had thought her thoughts were bad before.

All these emotions bubble inside her.

Naruto drives her home. He glances at the crying female beside him and can't even bring himself to saying, _"I told you," so_ or something equally as stupid to try to cheer her up. She wipes her eyes and sucks in a big gulp of air, it sounded like it hurt, then she turns to Naruto and says, "We c-c-can't let Sasuke get addicted to that shit." She shakes her head, "We just can't."

Naruto almost drops his mouth open in shocked. Here's a girl, hurt enough times by the Uchiha brat to hate him forever and wish death upon him, who is still trying to look after him and his health.

He shakes his head and rules out Hinata as being a possible traitor. He decides that he loves the girl to death and doesn't want to see her get hurt ever. Needless to say, he's going to have to beat up his dark haired friend.

His fingers tighten on the steering wheel and he says, "You're right. I'll make it my responsibility. You don't have to worry about anything, Hinata."

**A/N: In which the real shit went down in chapter 17.**

**Wow you fuckin' up Sasuke! I can't really say that anything in this fic will get any happier from this point on so ~.~**

**Are there people who actually inject crack? I know it's possible but I think people generally just snort it...**

**And parts of this chapter seem kind of immature to me now, as I've written different sections a long time ago.**

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**Anyway:**** NARUTO CHAPTER 614 SPOILER ALERT*******  
_what the fuck guys! did kishimoto really kill Neji like i swear to god im going to go on a rampage. He's my favorite character I literally cried._  
_****END SPOILER****_

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**Review please and thank you!**  
**I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	19. eighteen

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 18**

"Are you okay?"

******"**Mm." Hinata nods her head a little at the vague question. Is she okay? Sure, she's healthy as a horse, she's not like, insane or anything. Hinata bites her lip and runs her hands through her hair. Sure, she's fine.

******"**How are you feeling?" The questions continue. This one a bit more accurate. Hinata feels Ino sit next to her on her bed and releases a sigh.

******"**I don't know...I'm," She blows hair out of her face, "Confused. Hurt. Worried." She can make lists after lists of everything she's feeling at the moment.

******"**Naruto told me what happened," Ino says, she takes Hinata's hands into her's and rubs them, spreading warmth. "I'm glad you came to my house." She offers no more commentary on the situation.

Hinata is grateful. "We can have some fun!" She forces a smile, but it doesn't reach her eyes. She's still upset about the news of the betrayal, she needs a good time as much as Hinata does.

******"**Not really in the mood," Hinata faceplants into Ino's bed, burying her face into the covers in hopes of self-suffocation or something. "Don't wanna party."

******"**We're not going to a club, we're going to a lights festival. For the new year."

******"'**-too cold to go out. And...Ino...I-ugh!" Hinata continues to bury her head under more and more pillows and her voice comes out muffled. "I'm just so _tired _of all this. I'm really _really _tired."

******"**Well I'm tired to." Ino says finally, ripping her hand out of Hinata's and crossing her arms. "You don't think the rest aren't tired of all this _shit_? Do you really think that you're the only one going through a hard time? Because you're not. In fact, we've been through _more._So please try to suck it up a little, Hinata."

****Ino swallows the lump in her throat but stands her ground. This is something Hinata has to hear; she needs to grow a pair of balls or something! Sure, Ino can say that the girl's been through a lot while with The Leaf, but the point is, they've been through _more._The Hyuga has to learn that the world doesn't revolve around her. Sometimes her problems are miniscule.

****Still, Ino feels a little bad for her outburst. It's a little harsh, especially for a formally sheltered Hyuga heir. Ino can admit that Hinata's grown, she's tougher, harder even, with more confidence. She's joined a gang, and done drugs...she's even shot a man. Ino even knows that she's flirted with the enemy, albeit, her cousin. Maybe even fell in love with her own 'leader'-although Ino isn't sure of this fact.

She's done all of this and can definitely do more. She just has to get over herself first.

****Ino hears her release a long breath and turns to see her sitting up on her bed, one silent tear running down her face. The Yamanaka girl hold back a sigh and crawls over the bed to sit next to her friend.

******"**S-sorry." Hinata wipes her face a few times before frowning. "Y-you're right. I'm being self-centered. T-there are so many other things that we have to deal with right now." She sniffles, before muttering 'sorry,' again.

****Ino smiles and pats Hinata on the back twice, "So...festival tonight?"

-:- -:- -:-

**"**Haven't been to one of these in a while," Hinata mutters to Ino as she fusses over Hinata's 'new' kimono.

**"**Really? I thought rich people always go to these things!" Ino replies, she tightens Hinata's obi before hopping down the street. Dressing up for traditional festivals is fun-for Ino at least. "I used to go to the one in downtown Konoha with Chouji and Shika all the time."

**"**We always missed them because father hosted important business parties around this time." Hinata pouts but Ino tells her to stop as she applies lipstick for her. "Thanks for letting me borrow this kimono by the way."

****Ino waves her hand, "It's my mother's, she won't mind. It's a very nice color on you."

****Hinata sports a navy blue kimono with tiny flowers blossoming from the bottom corner of her the skirt. Her obi is pale pink with hints of blue. Ino has done her makeup and has put half of her hair up into a sophisticate bun.

****Hinata tries to be happy, she really does, but all she can manage is a forced smile and a sigh. She's really not in the mood. The lights are really pretty and all, but she can't bring herself to appreciate all the beauty.

****She and Ino walk along a road lined with paper lanterns and fairy lights. Thousands of lights hang from various other places, but Hinata can only roll her eyes; as if the city needed to be any brighter.

****Now she knows her sour mood has reached its peak and she shakes her thoughts away. She's here to have a good time with Ino, to relax and have fun.

**"**Hey guys," The pair are greeted by Shikamaru, Naruto, Neji, and Tenten as they near a ramen stand.

****Naruto doesn't look her in the eye.

****Hinata wonders if he told Neji. She sits herself between him and Ino and attempts to join their conversation. She can't-as she doesn't exactly know what they're even talking about. She's really just not in the mood at all. She feels like she's suffocating, a silent scream of frustration makes its way past her lips and comes out in the form of a sigh.

**"**Are you alright?" Neji asks her after several minutes of sulking. She picks at her miso ramen idly, twirling a piece of naruto with her chopsticks.

**"**Yes, I'm fine." Hinata forces a smile that she hopes is convincing.

****Neji frowns, he knows Hinata better than most people. Contrary to popular belief, Hinata can be an excellent liar-it's apart of the Hyuga upbringing really. The former Hyuga chews his food thoughtfully before turning to the Hyuga girl again. He notices Naruto and Ino eying them cautiously and he raises both eyebrows. "What happened?"

****So Naruto _didn't_tell Neji. Well, that's good. He doesn't need to know anyway. Hinata slurps down more ramen before playing with her phone for a second. Then, "A-ah, n-nothing happened! Anyway gotta go meet, uh, Kiba, somewhere, bye!"

****She sort of darts off the stool and away from the ramen booth right before Neji could glare at the two blondes and demand that they explain whatever the hell is going on.

-:- -:- -:-

****The fireworks will start soon.

****Hinata only knows this because of the text from Ino, asking her to join them on top of a hill somewhere to watch them.

****She doesn't really want to. She's tried to be happy, for Ino's sake at least, but she feels like she's just drowning instead.

****Hinata settles down on a park bench, surrounded by lanterns and fairy lights. At a different time, she'd be admiring the beauty around her. She'd be praising the beautiful city that is Konoha and its inhabitants. She'd be taking pictures in her kimono and participating in festival activities, she'd be enjoy grilled fish and sweet dango along with other fattening foods.

****But now...she just doesn't want to do anything. It's actually becoming a little annoying. She's tried to make herself excitable, tried to join in with the cheer and activities, but it just didn't work.

****It's really a good thing she's brought her sketchbook and supplies, otherwise she'd be bored out of her mind. The Hyuga pushes the sleeves of her kimono up, ignoring the sting of the cold and takes her materials out of her bag. If she had any colors, maybe she'd draw the lights in front of her, but she only has a couple mechanical pencils with her.

****She hasn't drawn her feelings in a while. It's something that she used to do all the time. It can be very therapeutic. Her eyes follow the curve of her pencils in light wisps and lines feathering together. She curves her hand and a crisp line follows to create the illusion of space. After a while she finds herself drawing the profile of someone. It begins to snow and the snowflakes dampen her paper like her tears that refuse to fall.

**"**Tch. You must be begging for the flu, un."

****Hinata lets her shoulders drop, figures. Figures she'd run into Deidara when all she wanted to was be alone. Hinata self consciously tugs the sleeves of her kimono back down but doesn't pull her sweater out of her bag. She closes her sketchbook with a slam and turns away from him as he seats himself on the bench.

**"**Where are your little groupies, un? Neji, Kiba and them..."

**"**Having fun or something," Hinata replies shortly. She hopes he gets the message; she doesn't want to talk right now.

**"**Eh," Hinata feels him jostling in his coat beside her, "And you're not with them because...?"

****Hinata frowns at the prying blonde from the corner of her eye, "M'not in the mood."

****Deidara makes a sort of snorting sounds and faces her fully, "What's the matter with you? You're quite bitchy tonight, yeah."

****Hinata rubs at her face, irritated, "I'm _n-not_bitchy. Its not hard to understand t-that I want to be alone? Why are you here anyway? Shouldn't you be with _your_gang?"

****Deidara throws her one of those cheap crooked smiles, "Shouldn't you be with yours? Sometimes they're too dramatic for their own good. Annoying, yeah."

**"**You're a rival gang member. We shouldn't even be sitting together," Hinata continues. She takes her hair out of it's half top not and lets it fall around her shoulders again. "And-" She almost let news of a traitor slip passed those loose lips of hers. She really is losing it tonight. She only barely stops to think that sitting with Deidara now can be deemed as traitorous.

****She can't bring herself to care at the moment.

**"**And what?" Deidara pulls out two bottles of sake out of nowhere and pops one open easily. "I brought these out here for myself, but I guess I can share, un."

**"**I-I didn't ask," Hinata mutters, she takes one of the bottles anyway.

**"**Oh there's your stutter sweetheart-"

**"**D-don't call me that," Her face goes red, "That's creepy."

**"**Oh?" Deidara's eyebrows raise, "Do you prefer Nezumi?"

**"**I _prefer_my name." She watches him take a big gulp of of sake and then cringe with the light burn that comes with it.

****They sit in silence for a while after that. The light bliss is interrupted minutes later when fireworks erupt in the sky in a flurry of color. Hinata tilts her head to gaze at the colors robbing the night of its darkness and painting it brightly. Hinata finally drinks her own liquor, swallowing the sour taste and welcoming the burn. She remembers when she had been tired of abusing these substances, only a few weeks back, but now she's on the same track. Playing that sad song, over and over.

**"**Is this your art?" Hinata asks, rubbing at her arms, the winter air is cool but the alcohol has warmed her core. "I-I mean its fleeting. Is this your definition?"

****She feels him shrug beside her, "I guess, yeah. Do you see how the beauty doesn't last, yet leaves you yearning for more? Art is an explosion, forever changing and morphing before disappearing before your eyes. Art is change and movement, something can't be art if it sits there forever, un."

**"**Hm," By now the alcohol is sloshing around Hinata's head, she can almost feel its effects. "So are you saying that famous artists like Van Gogh and Picasso didn't create real art?" Hinata tips the bottle back and lets the liquor slide down her throat, "They're famous for a reason, you know."

**"**Eh," Deidara scratches his head, "They're famous because their styles hadn't been done before, un. It was different, although not really fleeting...All I know is that..uh" Deidara pours the last bit of his alcohol into his mouth, "Not really sure anymore, yeah."

****Their conversation slows to something akin to drunken babble. Hinata sloshes the sake around a little before Deidara takes it from her and drinks the rest. She would be angry if she wasn't so trashed. For the briefest of moments, she stops to think about all of Deidara's demons that he seem to have. He's always talking about them and even says he's 'running' from them, but Hinata doesn't exactly know who or what his demons are. For someone drowning himself in sake, he must have something he's running from. You don't just don't come to a park all alone with two bottles of sake just because you want to have some fun.

****She would ask, but she's to wrapped up in herself to care too much.

****In the end they don't talk much, they don't touch, and they don't fall into hysterics. But their presence manages to comfort each other like there's something personal about getting drunk together.

****The grand finale erupts over their heads but the two artists can't bring themselves to bask in its beauty.

-:- -:- -:-

****This time, Hinata wakes up alone in her own room. She's grateful that she can be at peace with herself in the safety of her own bed. Hinata rubs her face, slowly recalling the events from yesterday.

****So basically, she went over Sasuke's house to tell him that they couldn't be friends, only to catch him doing crack, later Ino forced her to go to some lame lights festival where she indulged in hard liquor with a rival gang member.

****That explains the hangover.

Wow, yesterday was pretty terrible.

****She rolls over on her bed, ready to be done with feeling sorry for herself. Right after she's over her hangover, she'll go...get over herself or something.

****Shrill ringing brings her out of her thoughts and makes her feel like her skull is cracking open- again. She reaches over and answers her cellphone with a semi-harsh, "What?"

The voice that answers almost knocks her out of her hangover from the shock**, **"Hinata."

She gasps before checking her caller I.d. to make that it's the person she thinks it is, "F-father?"

The voice is as cold as she remembers, he doesn't seem to have missed her. "Yes. I've decided that you may come home now. As long as you've learned your lesson."

**A/N: Probably the worst chapter I've written? This was one of those awful transition chapters that take me forever to write. Hopefully I can update again quickly to make up for this chapter because I personally am not a fan of it.**

**Anyway, I know for a fact that the next chapter will be better because I already have certain parts written. ^^**

**Hopefully I'll update by Sunday and my regular update days with be back on track.**

**Review ad stuff. C:**


	20. nineteen

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 19**

She can go home. She can go back to being the sheltered, spoiled rotten, Hyuga heir and pretend that none of this happened. She can forget Sasuke and Deidara and traitors and wars and _everything._ She can disappear and start fresh again. She can be secure again.

Or, she can stay. She can keep this warm feeling in her heart when she's with her friends, she can hold on to this sense of _belonging_. She can continue to laugh and cry through good times and hard with the people she has come to love. She can become a protector, a fighter.

"-Hinata." Her father's voice cuts in again, hard and cold like steel. "Are you listening?"

Hinata fumbles around the room, trying to throw on pants and sweaters while functioning on a hangover and too-many-thoughts. "Can I...can I call you back?"

There is a pause and Hinata can't bring herself to be concerned. Her father grunts, "I will not repeat myself, either you-"

Hinata puts the phone down and pops two painkillers into her mouth before bringing it back to her ear, "Otousan, I need to think about this," A good improvise, she assumes. But her father seems to be astonished that she would even suggest having to 'think about it'. "I'll...call you back later."

She wonders if he's noticed that her stutter has lessened.

Minutes later, Hinata is jogging down the street and knocking holes through her cousin's apartment door. Neji opens the door two minutes later looking slightly disheveled and tired. His hair is in a bun on top of his head and he only wears a pair of shorts. The other Hyuga frowns in confusion when he sees Hinata but lets her in anyway.

"Are you alright?" Is the first thing he says. Hinata usually doesn't just...come into his house this early, and she definitely doesn't come without letting him know first. She and him make their way to his kitchen and he starts on a pot of coffee after he rubs the sleep out of his eyes.

"I-I'm fine. I think." Hinata runs her hands through her hair-at this rate, she'll be bald. She tries to collect her thoughts while watching her cousin-her brother, move around the kitchen to accommodate her.

She doesn't know what she would do without Neji.

"I heard what happened with Uchiha." Neji bangs the cereal bowl a little too hard against the counter. It breaks. He doesn't acknowledge his anger as he throws the pieces into the trash can. "I am going to kill him."

She might've argued with him if that's what she came to talk to him about in the first place.

"Uh, P-please don't. I'm fine. See?" Hinata gestures to herself.

"No you're not. You reek of alcohol and self-pity." Neji says with a jerk of his head, he places a steaming cup of coffee in front of her before she can even feel embarrassed.

Neji shrugs on a shirt and leans against the counter, "Even if you were 'fine,' I'd still beat the shit out of him. Doing coke is just plain stupid." Neji takes a large sip of coffee, keeping his eyes on her, "And you-who'd you think you were fooling? Everyone knew there was something wrong with you."

She's not in the mood for this.

"And then you go and drown yourself in some substance just like the Uchiha brat."

She doesn't want to be scolded by him right now. She stands swiftly to head towards the door because she's so _tired_ of all this—

Neji grabs her wrist and turns her around with a harsh jerk. Her eyes widen from the brute force-Neji has never handled her like this before. "When are you going to stop _running_ from things? This isn't a _joke_ anymore Hinata. Get your shit together. Fast." Neji is yelling now, more serious than ever. "You got yourself into this-all of this! So you need to start taking some responsibility. You're here, you're in this gang and no one is going to sit down with you and baby you."

Each word is like a slap in the face. Being yelled at by Neji meant that shit was getting serious real fast. She needs to grow the fuck up real soon, apparently. Still, tears bubble in the corner of her eyes and spill down her cheeks. She's young and she's naive and Neji is right. She cries for about a minute before she stops herself. She can't live in pity city any longer.

Neji stares at her with the hardest look she's ever received in her life, "Things won't get  
any easier from this point on. If you can't handle it...get out of the gang now."

Hinata's heart rams against her ribs, she swallows. "That's...that's what I came to talk to you about..."

"Hm?" Neji raises an eyebrow but is soon replaced by a cool mask. Hinata can see the disappointment in his eyes though. He had had faith in her.

"My dad called...earlier. He says I can come home." She seats herself at Neji's table again, folding her hands and staring at her chipped nail polish. She feels Neji sit across from her.

"Do you want to go home?" Neji asks. "I can't blame you if you do. It's mean an easier life for you. No more danger, no more pain, no more fighting. Safer."

"I..." Hinata chews her lip, "I got myself into this, and I'm not leaving. You just told me to stop running...so I...I will. I'm going to turn down his offer."

A spark of excitement flashes through Neji's eyes and then it's gone. "Go anyway."

"W-What?" Hinata gaps at him, "D-Didn't you just tell me to stop running?"

"As a mission. Go to your father's place." Neji smirks now, smirking with excitement. "Your father is partnered with _someone_...and it's dire that The Leaf find out who. You'd be the perfect person to send in for this...ah, 'infiltration' mission." Neji's smirk drops, "That is...if you're willing to follow through. If you did this...it would mean completely betraying your father and Hyuga Corps. It's a lot to ask of you."

She realizes now that for the people she loves, for her gang, she'd do anything. She's never really liked her father anyway...Slowly she nods. Yes, she'll do it. And she won't run away.

"Alright," Neji nods at her and she feels a sense of relief flood her senses. He's not upset with her anymore. "What has to happen is that you get into his office and see what his main exports are. Either drugs or weapons...maybe even both. Then find out who he's selling them to to help him out. When you finish, leave. But make sure that he suspects nothing. I'll be in contact with you through a different number than the one you have now."

"So, you want me to be, like, an undercover agent thing?"

"Exactly. He won't suspect a thing, his little Hinata. If you act like you do now...a bit different from before, he might even be more open to discussing business with you. He wants you to be strong and confident; if he sees you've made that change over the few months...he might even show the world of underground business."

Hinata feels her stomach stir with nervous tension, she's excited, but she's also apprehensive. "What if I get caught?"

"The second you think he suspects something, leave. Call me once you're away from him and make your way out of the building. Take a couple train roots across the city to confuse whoever may be following you, and I'll call back to tell you where to go next in order for us to try and get you."

More nervous tension swims around in her stomach. She might throw up.

"That leads me to my next point. If you decide that this life isn't right for you...and you want to stay and live a calm life with you father, do that. Just send me a quick email that says 'game-over.' And The Leaf will leave you alone forever." Neji's eyes don't leave hers. "You have a lot of options on the table, Hinata. Choose wisely. I have faith in you."

-:- -:- -:-

The car arrives at her house around noon, but she doesn't leave until one. She wants to say goodbye to everyone but Neji won't risk it. He doesn't want too many people knowing about the operation. He's only told Shikamaru, Naruto, and Sasuke about the plan.  
Naruto is completely against infiltration missions by now, but Neji and Shikamaru pushed for this one. Sasuke hadn't said much of anything.

Hinata only wonders what everyone else will be left to believe about her absence. Will they think she's the traitor now? She wouldn't be able to take it if they do. Will they miss her? Will they think her weak for choosing to go back to her old life? Will they lose respect for her?

Leaving her mother had been more difficult than expected. She'd grasped at Hinata's arms and tried to stop her from packing. It had been heartbreaking; the cries escaping from her lips brought tears to Hinata's eyes. "_I'll be a better mother; just don't leave me alone again, Hinata. I need someone. I'm sorry, I'm sorry I couldn't be there, but I promise I'll stop, all for you sunshine baby, all for you-" _Hinata had to explain that she'd be back. It took close to thirty minutes to reassure her.

Now she stands before the elevator in her father's building. The Hyuga quickly slips the security card into the slot before the silver doors to the private elevator open. She stands there alone, going up fast. Her father is expecting her in his penthouse sitting atop this great glass building. She rides up sixty floors, the trip up bringing back memories from only months before. She's pressed the buttons and has meditated to the elevator music more times than she can count.

The two minutes she does wait, she collects herself. She's changed in the last few months, but Neji says she must appear to have changed _more._ She'll have to act more confident than ever and better than all the Hyuga combined. She'll have to be fierce and determined to convince him, but be careful to not go over the top.

The elevator opens to what she used to call home. She politely takes off worn gym shoes before stepping onto polished hardwood floors covered by furry white rugs. A maid greets her with a bow, looking confused, because this is not the Hinata she remembers. The maid takes her coat and shoes before scurrying off.

Hinata is not welcomed by her father, his assistant, or her sister yet, so she roams around the living room. It's the same mostly, crisp black and white furniture and fancy electronics mixed expertly with traditional Japanese design including sliding paper doors and tables that sit slow to the floor. Hinata slowly makes her way towards the windows; they cover the whole wall to the east, the way their living room is facing. This may be the only thing she's missed; the view is simply amazing. Like all of Konoha is at her feet. She traces the buildings with her eyes, they stop for a few seconds on Tsunade's building, Hokage Corps., in the distance-only a few blocks north, before continuing towards the western part of the city, 'where the sun don't shine', where her friends are.

"Hinata."

Hinata tenses before relaxing her shoulders. She will stay calm and _take control _of the situation, just like Neji told her to. If you're to try to control Hyuga, you need to take control of your surroundings and grab hold of the situation with an iron grip.

At least, that's what Neji told her.

"Otousan," Hinata replies, she keeps her voice light and unwavering. She's shaking inside. She spins around to face her, and immediately locks her eyes with his. Eye contact. A big part of what Hiashi teaches his children. She gives the politest smile, only for a second, and bows her head. A full bow would make Hiashi think that he's in control. "I've missed you, father."

Done. Hinata releases a large sigh inside her mind. She hadn't even stuttered. It almost scares her how well this is going. Maybe she really has changed, and just hasn't realized the full extent.

Hiashi's eyebrows raise, it's almost unnoticeable, but Hinata's eyes catch everything. He takes one step forward, "My daughter. I pray you've been well." He moves towards the table by the window and seats himself, gesturing for her to join him.

Hinata does so gracefully; her light eyes dance and search his features wondering what he'll say next. She doesn't even flinch when his eyes stare into hers, doing the same thing.

"Let us have tea." Her father says simply.

And so they have tea.

-:- -:- -:-

Hiashi is rarely ever startled. He's hardly ever surprised about anything. He calculates every situation precisely, and has never received an outcome different from which predicted.

Hyuga Hiashi is wrong today.

His first born child, his failure of a daughter is no longer a stuttering clumsy mess, something he has fully expected.

Which means, in some sense, Hiashi is still, of course, right. His plan has worked. Sending her away has made her stronger. Stronger than he expected...almost too different. It's scary.

He has underestimated her.

Earl Grey tea is placed in front of both of them in tiny porcelain cups, hand painted. Hiashi meets her eyes and is surprised to find them hard. A look he has worn many many times. He has never expected to see it on his oldest daughter.

He expects to sit in silence but his daughter's voice is yet another surprise. And now-it's stutter free.

"I trust you've been in good health, Otousan." She takes the tiniest sip from the cup and returns her eyes to his gaze.

"I have." Hiashi replies. "I trust you've been healthy as well."

Something like amusement plays in Hinata's eyes, but a second later, it's gone. "Yes, but the bad air on the west side has damaged my complexion. Good thing Hyuga are blessed with good skin."

Hiashi does not see anything wrong with her skin. In fact he doesn't see much wrong with her appearance at all...other than what she's wearing. She wears a pair of baggy pants and an off the shoulder long sleeved top-something the old Hinata would never step out the house in. Her hair is tied back tight in a high ponytail, exposing the wonderful bone structure the Hyuga genes have blessed her with. She still has her bangs though, with two strands of hair hanging to frame her face.

His daughter has changed. For the better. And it was all because of him, him sending her away has brought him a changed daughter, and someone confident enough to take the...'business' after him.

Hiashi shakes his head a bit sharply, he's thinking too far ahead now. First he must make sure his daughter's confidence will last. Still, he lets a bit of pride show through his eyes, Hinata notices and something in her seems to strengthen.

"I've been following your business, father." Hinata says in that newly acquired softly confident voice of hers. Hiashi is sure that that voice could quiet a room full of yelling men. "-Very strategic move investing in those last few stocks. I suggest you invest in the small computer security one next, I predict that it'll expand quickly within the next few years. The profit could be amazing."

"Oh?" Hiashi can't seem to stop being surprised by this girl. "Tokemodo's you mean?" At Hinata's nods, Hiashi allows the tiniest smile to show, "Ah, good girl. I've been looking into their business and financial plan. I too, predict that that company could be a very worthwhile investment. Very good catch there, Hinata."

Hiashi shakes his head at his daughter, he has never been so proud of her before. It's amazing; he can't believe the change in Hinata. It's almost unreal.

"Thank you, Otousan." Hinata takes another sip of her tea. "I've learned it from you."

"Tch," a voice comes from around the corner, "'_I've learned it from you'"_

"Hanabi, come welcome your sister. After all, you haven't seen her for almost half a year."

Hinata stands graciously and moves towards her sister who's just entered the room. Hiashi notices Hinata's quick assessment of the girl and the challenge newly present in the gaze. Pride swells in his chest again.

"Hello Hanabi. I've missed you, _Imouto_"

What a great lie she's just told. Hiashi and Hanabi both catch it, only barely, it flew through her lips so fast she hadn't even thought about it.

"I'll welcome you once I figure out just what the _hell_ you're wearing."

Hiashi focuses on his tea, only glancing at his glaring daughters from the corner of his eyes.

"Clothes." Hinata replies simply.

Stutter-free, confident Hinata seems to be a hard new concept for Hiashi's youngest daughter to grasp as well. He tries to hide his amusement as Hanabi gaps openly at the girl.

He watches Hanabi circle Hinata like a cat before pouncing on her prey. Shiny brown hair swishes around her, and she moves around in her expensive bootcut jeans like a model instead of a teenager. Then she thrusts her nose in the air and sniffs.

A tiny giggle makes the two Hyuga focus on Hinata. She turns red and covers her mouth politely, "I-I'm sorry," giggles wrack her body, "But..I can't believe you just _sniffed _at me. Kami, I haven't seen someone do that in so long."

Hiashi is so pleased with Hinata, he lets a one low chuckle rumble out his chest. Hanabi gaps at him fully and fury washes over her face. Hiashi walks behind Hinata and squeezes her shoulder, and says, "Why don't you go...freshen up. Hanabi and I are going to meet some new...business partners and we'd love to introduce you to them as well. Please be ready by seven."

Hiashi can't wait to introduce Hinata as his heir. After all, he is very pleased with how far she's come.

-:- -:- -:-

Hinata feels like she's about to explode. _What what what just happened? _She shakes inside, her head aches from the stress of keeping up the act, and she resists the urge to run her fingers through her hair again.

Her giggle from early was more from hysterics than actual, like, humor. She's just glad she played it off well enough.

She's done well though, Neji will be proud of her when she tells him tonight. She almost wishes he was there with her.

"_Ugh."_

Hinata turns to her younger sister, having forgotten she was there. She's almost forgotten how bratty Hanabi is. The spoiled child prodigy Hyuga Hanabi was not used to coming in second to _anyone_, especially not Hyuga Hinata. This turn of events does not sit well with her in any way, shape, or form. It's just _wrong_, Hinata isn't supposed to be this different.

"I see your fashion sense hasn't improved any, in fact...I think it's gotten worse."

Hinata allows herself to snort, she no longer has to keep up as much of the act since her father is gone, "I...could say the same about your personality." She almost allowed herself to stutter.

Hanabi stops, her intake of breath is almost comical, but the look in her eyes say that she's _not_ to be messed with. "You've become rather bold..._Nee-chan."_

Hinata only replies with a smirk-learned from the Uchiha (curse him,) and makes her way to her old room.

-:- -:- -:-

Hinata collapses against her old bed. This whole, 'Fake confidence,' and 'Don't be you' thing is making her blood pressure rise or something. She hadn't even _known_ that she was good at pretending to be something so different from herself.

Her room looks exactly the same. The walls are bare painted light lavender, so light they almost look white. Her king size bed sits in the middle of the clean but otherwise empty room. It's only true redeeming quality is the view of the city from her window, which she could stare out for ages. There's a big TV and a couple of scattered couches, but other than that, her room is lifeless and boring as ever. She almost misses the worn but colorful room in her mom's house.

Finally, Hinata gets up to ready hersellf for her father's business dinner. She assumes the dinner will be classy and sophisticated instead of casual. Hinata dives into her walk-in closet only to come up blank. She sort of stares at her old clothes in disgust, everything looks the same!

And somewhere in the back of her mind, she thinks, _Wow I really have changed._

She continues to search her closet, clothes falling neatly in a pile on the floor, when a knock at her door stops her.

She opens it curiously to find a maid with a pile of clothes in her hands. "Hinata-sama, your father forgot to tell you to dress well because of the guests attending. Hanabi-sama decided to send you some clothes in case you didn't have anything appropriate."

Hinata graciously take the clothes, nods and shuts the door, before graciously dumping them onto the floor.

Wearing something Hanabi donated to her would be the worst-case scenario.

Hinata delves back into her closet with a frown. This time she finds a black, long sleeved, scoop necked dressed that looks like it's never been worn.

It probably hasn't.

Hinata quickly discards her sweatpants and top and folds them neatly, hoping that a maid wouldn't 'accidently' mistake them for trash.

She slips the dress over her head to find that it comes just above her knees. It's clingy yet loose at the same time but hugs her curves perfectly. To make the look more sophisticated for her father, she slips on a diamond necklace and a pair of pearl earrings. Hinata then turns to the dreadfully pink dress Hanabi had _lovingly_ given her and finds a pair of black heels she's also donated. She slips them on her feet, knowing that she herself would not have any hidden in her closet.

Her hair is another problem. While she doesn't have stitches anymore, she still has a short patch of hair growing near the top. She pulls some hair up to cover it and makes a sort of sloppy topknot bun. The rest of her hair curls nicely around her shoulders.

An hour later, she greets Hanabi and her father outside of their building in front of the waiting limo.

They stare at her.

"You're not wearing the dress I gave you." Hanabi states plainly, she glares at Hinata's figure after sliding into the car.

"I'm sorry, imouto; I found my own in my closet. I...I hope you don't mind." Hinata puts on her newly acquired I-am-the-only-heiress smile and seats herself next to her father. Her head is buzzing with the lies and her face flushes red for a millisecond.

Hanabi glowers back at her. She doesn't seem to like Hinata's change, but their father sure does. He seems to think that his plan worked.

Minutes later, they arrive and are seated on the second floor of some fancy French restaurant. Their father allows them one cup of wine and Hinata has to roll her eyes. She showed up to his house practically hungover…like one glass of wine will do anything to her anymore.

But, she's still not exactly in the mood for alcohol consumption at the moment.

Hiashi briefly discusses what type of behavior he expects his only children to exhibit when his guests arrive-they're late, by the way. He then quiets and looks over his menu, muttering French words in a terrible accent.

"Hiashi-sama, I apologize for our tardiness. Traffic was quite rough tonight." A blue haired woman appears. Hinata looks up at her…she seems vaguely familiar. She can't remember where she's seen her before...The blue haired woman's eyes pass over Hinata before turning sharp and alarmed.

Hinata gets chills.

"Pleasure to see you again Hiashi-sama, un." Another person steps up. Hinata's heart stops and plummets into her stomach. She's suddenly nauseous again. "We're pretty grateful you've chosen to partner with the Akatsuki, yeah."

Hiashi turns to his two daughters and gestures to the two gang members, "Konan-san, Deidara-san, this is Hanabi, and my heir, Hinata. Girls, these are my new business partners."

Hinata does not know how it's possible that two sentences could be so _wrong _at one time.

All she knows is that she's entered a new type of danger.

She's terrified.

**A/N: God, I've been waiting to write this chapter for like, forever. Also this is a pretty long chapter that I ended up writing pretty quickly (In like 2 sittings) so kudos to me.**

**Also I did use honorifics to sortof show levels of respect/relationships. In case you don't know, Otousan is father, Nee-chan is for older sister, Imouto for younger. -san for Mr/mrs., and -sama very formal and respectful.**

**Yay Japanese lesson woooh.**

**Anyway, this is a really long chapter so review! ^^**

**Oh thanks to my beta/bestie (who doesn't even really do anything but whatever) AnnaliseIsmeneRomano. Check out her Inuyasha fics if interested!**


	21. twenty

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapte**r **20**

Hinata swallows down a large gulp of red wine while her father isn't looking-she knows she needs it right now. Then she straightens her dress and stands with Hanabi to greet her father's new...associates.

****First, Hinata shakes Konan's hand. She remembers her now, Naruto had briefly went over all of the members in the Akatsuki. She's the leader's right hand man...er woman. Her blue hair sits atop her head in a pretty bun and eyes almost the same blue pierce her. Hinata can only pray that Konan does not know who she really is-that Konan doesn't know that she's with The Leaf.

Hinata can only pray.

******"**Nice to meet you, Hinata-san."

****Hinata's eyes flicker up to meet Konan and her heart thuds against her ribcage harder than before. The Hyuga is sure she's seeing things...there cannot possibly be challenge in Konan's eyes.

****With a racing heart, Hinata moves to shake the hands of the leering blonde. Why is he leering at her? Hinata swallows a lump in her throat.

****Time slows down.

Deidara's eyebrows seem to lift into his hairline before crashing down above his eyes as Hinata moves in front of him. She swallows. She doesn't like the mischievous look that's suddenly entered his eyes. The blue swirls with amusement and half-hidden mirth, like the drama is humorous, like Hinata's position is the funniest thing in the world. She watches his eyes, but they're no longer on her face, they roam her body before coming back to meet her eyes. He gives her that cheap crooked smile-the one he always has, and his eyes flash again.

******"**P...Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Hinata sort of chokes out the words. Her eyes narrow as Deidara takes her hand and raises it to her lips. He kisses her hand, blue eyes swimming with amusement. It's really all a joke for him.

******"**The pleasure is all mine, Hyuga-san." He winks and Hinata suddenly wants to punch him. "Hyuga-sama," Deidara addresses her father, who is frowning. "You have very beautiful daughters."

******"**Hm." Hinata's father's eyes are sharp; now watching Hinata and Deidara like a hawk. "Let us sit."

****Hinata seats herself next to her father again, she tenses when Deidara drops down beside her at the only available chair.

****She takes another sip of the wine.

****Her father and the two Akatsuki members make small talk and she takes a bite of slimy French cuisine, wishing she could just eat a bowl of ramen and be done with it. She misses the simplicity of being with her gang already, and she hasn't even been gone a full day. She misses wearing what she wants and saying what she wants and doing what she wants and eating what she wants.

****She misses the freedom. Here, with her father again, she is put in a cage and told to act a certain way. On the west side...you can do what you want.

****Besides..she doesn't want to eat this french stuff. All she wants to do is sit on Ino's floor and pick the marshmallows out of Lucky Charms and eat them with mochi and vodka.

****Or, she could be with Kiba and Shino, walking Akamaru, or with Shikamaru, losing at chess, or with Naruto, probably smoking, or with Lee, or with Tenten and Neji...even with Sakura. She'd just rather not be here.

******"**-Uchiha Itachi. Yes, he's returned to us a couple of months ago."

****Hinata tunes back into the conversation when she heard the word 'Uchiha.' She frowns. Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother who's rumored to have gone insane and killed his family because the pressure they put on him as heir. Hinata can only remember news of him joining a gang after the massacre for a while and then going M.I.A for several years after that. For some reason, he was never been taken into custody for the murders. But as the Uchihas were in charge of the police department, she can only assume that it was in complete disarray after the massacre.

****He's a wanted criminal now...but no one can seem to catch him.

****All she really knows is that Sasuke wants him dead.

******"**Yeah," Deidara speaks up and Hinata turns her head towards him, suddenly interested, "'Said he couldn't stay away from the city any longer, un. He's not as crazy as everyone thinks he is, un. He's just...dedicated and stubborn. All the guy wants to power...and his brother, yeah."

******"**Where is the young Uchiha now?" Hiashi asks, eyes piercing.

****Hinata shifts in her seat as Deidara continues, "With our rival, The Leaf." His knee bumps into hers. Hard. she wonders if he did that on purpose. Hinata tries to calm herself down and stuffs more food into her mouth. Hanabi sends her a disgusted look from across the table. "We do have a inside source giving us information but I have a feeling that they may have their own little _nezumi _doing undercover work as well."

****Hinata is going to throw up.

****She hurriedly excuses herself and attempts to walk 'casually' towards the bathroom. Her heart thunders in her chest and she feels breathless. She walks into the bathroom and towards a stall, the heiress leans over the toilet bowl waiting for vomit to come up but it never does.

****She stands up, hands fluttering and shaking like the quick wings of a hummingbird. She walks over to the mirror, wobbling on her heels, and schools her features to look calm and collected. She does this with little effort, so little effort that it _scares_her. Who has she become that she can manipulate so easily? Who has she become that she can change herself into someone's she's never met?

****With shaking hands, she reapplies eyeliner-like Ino had taught her, and fixes her hair. She's about to leave when the blue haired Akatsuki member enters the bathroom.

****Hinata does not let her calm expression leave her as she looks to the blue haired woman. Konan stands next to her and looks to the mirror as well.

******"**What are you doing?" It's funny because, it is not posed as a question. Konan stares at Hinata's reflection in the mirror, and Hinata stares at Konan's.

******"**I'm...I'm sorry I don't understand?" Hinata's calm expression morphs into one of confusion. Her fingers titer against the sink.

******"**Stop playing games, Hyuga." Konan faces her fully, "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

****Hinata opens her mouth and then closes it.

******"**I don't know what the fuck you think you're doing with The Leaf, but if you're smart you'd stay here with your rich daddy. At least that way you and Deidara can _flirt_without anyone's life being on the line." The last part she mutters to herself.

******"**Ex-excuse me?"

****Konan's fists clench and Hinata is afraid that she's going to hit her. "Listen. I'm trying to help you, _really. _You don't know what you're getting yourself into. This isn't kid stuff." For a moment Konan's composure crumbles to pieces before coming together again, "If you go back to the Leaf...things will go from bad to worse. And it'll be your fault."

****Konan's face becomes blank and she leaves the bathroom without another word.

****Hinata exhales. Konan's words run through her head and they scare her. _Things will go from bad to worse. _

****Hinata bites her lips and leaves the bathroom. She stops at their table to briefly whisper to her father that she's not feeling well, and that she'd like a bit of fresh hair. It's really only a formality, Hinata needs to keep up with her 'perfect daughter' act. Hiashi sends her a reprimanding look but lets her go anyway.

****She slips away to an outside area on the second floor of the restaurant. She leans over the balcony and lets the cool air relax her body. The heiress pulls out the lone cigarette resting in the bottom of her purse and lights it. She's been to the west side for only a few months and she's already got a life's worth of bad habits.

******"**How do you end up getting into these situations, yeah?"

**S**he feels him slouch over the railing next to her and exhales the smoke. Smoking is really disgusting, she wonders why she even started doing it. "Trust me, It's not on purpose." She twirls the little cancer stick between two fingers.

****Deidara takes the little piece of poison out of her fingers and takes a drag. Hinata can only roll her eyes as the boy produces smoke rings-three in a row. She takes the cigarette back, it's her only one after all.

******"**You do look at part of a spoiled heiress, at least." Deidara says, "You play it pretty well too, un. But there's no life in your eyes. But! If I didn't know any better I'd say you were the epitome of a spoiled bitch."

******"**Don't say bitch," Hinata mutters, rolling her eyes once again before looking towards the skyline. "Good thing you know better." She adds.

******"**Do I?"

******"**Mm." She hums, "I believe you do, anyway. You're in my business way to much."

****Deidara actually has the nerve to look offended, "Tch. Whatever. You're just a stalker, un."

****They fall into to silence. Deidara has more cigarettes in his pocket and they end up chain smoking even after they realize that smoking isn't allowed. No one has stopped them yet.

******"**Who's the traitor?" The question has been on her lips for the past ten minutes and she can't leave until she gets an answer.

****Deidara blows smoke rings in her face, "You apparently."

****Hinata swipes at the smoke, getting annoyed real fast. "You know what I mean."

******"**You know I can't tell you, yeah. What kinda stupid ass question is that anyway?" Deidara sends her an irritated look. "You're on your way to getting yourself killed, you must wanna take me with you."

****Hinata mashes her cigarette against the metal railing and frowns. She's tired of hearing that.

******"**You might wanna start thinking of others before you do things, Hyuga. This isn't a little game anymore, might as well stay with daddy." Deidara flicks his cigarette over the edge of the railing and turns back to her, "I guess it was nice talking to you, but if you go back to The Leaf I'll probably end up having to kill you, un."

****Deidara walks back to dinner, leaving Hinata with her thoughts.

****She allows herself to shrug because she's under the impression that she doesn't care.

****She wonders if it should bother her that 'losing' Deidara as caused the littlest pain in her chest, like another person is leaving her life.

She has to remind herself that she doesn't care.****

**A/N: Shortish Chapter. My plot chart is under construction for the fourth time because I rushed through making things up for the chapters to come. Hopefully I can make things more interesting than I had written before.****  
****Thanks for all the reviews/faves/follows and all the love!**

**Hopefully I can update again by next Sunday.****  
****Review!**


	22. twenty-one

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 21**

Hinata traces the buildings in the distance with her eyes. She can never really get tired of this view, and no matter what she does, her eyes continue to roam over the west. Her friend's domain is just passed a gleaming silver skyscraper and an old shorter red building. It's where the dusty old apartment complexes rise higher than the shiny modern business buildings, and where the street lights seem dimmer. Her eyes go north again, for the second time they take in Tsunade's building. The large piece of hulking glass and metal is almost taller than her father's own business building. Almost. A red sign at the top reads 'Hokage Tower.' Her father calls it tacky, Hinata thinks it's perfect.

It feels good to know that The Leaf actually has an important ally on their side. Although Hinata doesn't really know specifically what Tsunade is doing for them, she feels safer knowing that the busty woman is on their side. Tsunade is someone they can trust, she thinks. Even though apparently _someone_ they've trusted isn't so trustworthy after all.

Hinata sighs, The Leaf has gathered evidence pointing to a traitor but there had never been solid proof...not until Hinata had heard the news of one come out of Deidara's mouth-that, and everything else. Deidara has a big mouth and a bigger ego, but he's not stupid. He was very smart about what he did and did not tell her father at dinner.

Hinata drops to the floor in the living room, in front of the great wide windows. She crosses her legs and meditates. She hasn't done so in so long; since the days when she was actually competing in martial arts. She breathes in through her nose and exhales through her mouth, attempting to clear her mind. She doesn't want to think of anything at the moment. Not Deidara or Sasuke or this so called impending war and her 'untimely death.' It's all very very depressing, and even more so stressful.

She gives a sharp shake to the head, she needs to relax.

She breathes in through her nose.

And exhales through her mouth.

_Peaceful._

"God, you're weird."

Hinata's eyes pop open but she continues her breathing exercise on the floor. She has no time to deal with Hanabi and her brattiness. "I'm just meditating." She's realized with partial regret that her sister is not someone that she actually too much. It's sad because she always watches shows on TV where sisters are always best friends or something when they're in their twenties. She's seen sisters who are always together, always laughing.

Maybe Hanabi could be her maid-of-honor in another lifetime.

It sorta makes her sad that she can easily say that she can live without her family. It makes her feel selfish too, because there are people like Sasuke around who would do anything to have one.

"I'm going to the gym. Care to spare with me?" Hanabi continues in the same moment. What Hanabi really means is 'Care to have your ass beat?' it's thinly implied in her words, Hinata thinks. Or maybe she's just paranoid. Hinata rolls her arm in a stretching motion but still shakes her head. She's under practiced and has other things to take care of, things more important than entertaining her sister.

"Suite yourself." Hanabi tosses her hair, "But you're looking kinda chubby."

Hinata ignores her. By now, Hanabi is just background noise. She makes her exit as Hanabi continues to talk, quickly padding out on the terrace. She slips a cigarette out of her pocket and lets it sit between her lips, cupping her hands to protect the flame from cold wind. The flame flickers for a moment before it becomes strong enough to light Hinata's cancer stick.

The terrace used to be her favorite place ever. There are scattered tables and a tiny garden resting in areas near a huge pool-it's barely used but Hanabi says it's a necessity. Hinata walks over to the edge and climbs atop the brick railing. She plants her butt there and looks down at the cars passing under her feet. The Hyuga smiles lightly, not sure if she enjoys the thrill of literally putting her life on the edge or not.

"What are you doing?" Hanabi says, she sounds exasperated now and Hinata isn't sure why the girl keeps bothering her.

"_Mysterium tremendium et fascinans."_

"Latin," Hanabi sounds annoyed, "I know you have this 'artist brain' thing going on but what are you talking about?"

Hinata twirls the cigarette between two fingers and wiggles her feet over the edge. Her stomach clenches again because she could end it all right here. "It's the mixture of awestruck fear and entrancing fascination." She's learned this from Deidara but she won't mention that. She actually doesn't want to think about the blonde at all anymore. He's the enemy.

Hanabi comes to stand by her looking at her strangely as if she's finally seeing her sister as a whole person, not just an obstacle in her way. Her nose scrunches up at the smoke but she's too interested to tell Hinata to stop, "Don't you think that has more to do with God?"

"If you want to think about it like that, I guess..." She leans backwards but her hands still grip the edge, "It's fascinating...I could just jump and end it all in a second, but it's also terribly frightening."

Hanabi's face scrunches up more, "Are you...suicidal?" She titters next to where Hinata sits on the ledge and finally decides to just lean against the ledge instead of climbing up to sit on it.

"No," Hinata replies, she lets the cigarette drop from her fingers and down several stories. She watches the little red at the end of it fade into nothing. "Did you want something, _imouto?"_ She doesn't say it mocking this time, she's actually curious. A peaceful moment has passed between the two; it's so rare that it almost scares her.

"I guess I've missed you." Hanabi says after what seems like forever. "But you're so different now. I don't even know who you are-but I guess I never did." Hanabi pauses, she twists and un twists her shiny hair-the only nervous habit she seems to have, Hanabi blinks before turning two wide eyes on Hinata, "I don't know what's going on but...I feel dread. I'm worried about you, Neechan."

Hinata's stomach churns terribly. If Hanabi thinks something's wrong...something is wrong. She hops off the ledge and sits against it on the ground instead and reaches into her pocket to pull out the recently discovered white lighter. Cigarette number two. "I'm sure you know about enough Hanabi." Hinata tries to stare her down but finds herself unable to hold Hanabi's gaze.

"The underground stuff...Otousan told you, right?" Hanabi continues after Hinata makes a halfhearted humming sound, "I guess I'm in pretty deep now but I promised myself if he ever tried to bring you into it I'd try to stop it."

Hinata's head snaps towards her little sister and her eyes widen. It's like their roles have reversed. The older sister is supposed to protect the younger-not vice versa. Not when both sisters supposedly hate each other.

"-It's not fun. Some people crave that kind of lifestyle, but I'm not interested. I knew you wouldn't be either. I wanted you to be my innocent older sister forever, I guess. But you're already ruined."

Hinata allows a short laugh as smoke comes from her nose. Hanabi shoots her a disgusted look again but slides down to sit on the ground with her sister.

"So, I know you're leaving."

"Yeah."

"If you're doing what I think you're doing I'll have to tell."

"Okay." A pause, "What do you think I'm doing?"

"Something dangerous."

"Yeah."

"Something traitor-ish."

"Maybe." another pause, "Why do you think that?"

"I know you. I know you hate this place, I know you hate our father."

"I don't."

"You do."

"I don't."

"Well I do."

They shift uneasily and Hinata takes a long drag from her cigarette.

"Well. I've been here for a week and a half," Hinata starts, not knowing where she's going with the sentence.

"Yeah, that's like, seven days too long."

A giggle, "Sorry."

More mumbling and Hinata's on her third cigarette.

"I'll probably miss you," Hanabi mutters.

"You shouldn't."

"You're right."

"I suck alot."

"Yo do. But you're my sister."

"Indeed, _Imouto, _indeed."

"You should email me some time. Send me shirtless pics of your boyfriend."

"Okay. I don't have a boyfriend, though."

"You're right, you probably have _hoes."_

"I don't have those either."

A maid checks on them and shoots Hinata an odd look.

Fourth cigarette.

"Smoking is disgusting."

"I know, Hanabi."

"Why couldn't we act like this towards each other before?"

"I think we were scared."

"Of what?"

"Of getting close to another human being."

"I guess we're not scared anymore."

"It hurts more, doesn't it?"

"Yes."

Hanabi leans against her sister now. She's upset because this is the first time they've conversed like this in ages and she knows Hinata is going to leave her. Hinata lights her fifth cigarette.

"Is that a white lighter?"

"Hm? Yeah."

A pause. The lighter is thrown off the roof.

"They're bad luck."

A shrug, "I didn't know."

"I'm very worried about you."

"Me too."

-:- -:- -:-

An hour later, Hinata hugs her sister goodbye. She knows that Hanabi knows that Hinata will be gone when she returns.

After almost two weeks with her father, she is ready to leave. The information gathered isn't much at all, but she does have a very important piece. Since she's home alone, she figures she can snoop around her father's home office.

She slips through mahogany doors and into the dark office. She doubts she'll find anything of importance. The Hyuga pans through folders in drawers and even goes as far as unlocking his safe, but finds nothing. Finally, Hinata starts up his computer, tensing when she hears a noise before dismissing the sound. She's no computer genius, but her father's passwords always have the same trend to them; Someone's year of birth, a different person's middle name, his own age, and someone's else's birthday.

Hinata attempts different combinations but after the tenth time she gives up. She almost gives up hope when she sees the Hyuga president's iPad atop the safe. She types in the four number password, figuring that it had to be _someone's _birthday (it was her grandmother's) as the password and delves into a few apps and emails.

A booming voice brings her to attention and she quickly tries to delete the iPad's history and slips it back in place. Just as the door is opening Hinata is taking out an envelope and placing it atop her fathers closed laptop.

"What are you doing in here?"

Hinata tries to look embarrassed, "Oh. I'm...I'm leaving. I just wanted to leave you a note before I left...but you beat me."

"Hinata." Her father's voice becomes cold, "Why, may I ask, are you leaving?"

Hinata ducks her head and slips past him out of his office, he follows angrily to the living room where Hinata puts on her coat and grabs her bags, "My mom." She blurts, her face coating with red, "I'm worried about her. She's sick."

Her father grunts, Hinata knows his feelings about her mother; he pretends to not care but deep down he does. But even with that little ounce of care, he still resents her for falling into an addiction faster than she fell in love. "I'll...send a doctor."

Hinata tries to blink away her shock, "No," She shakes her head furiously, "No. She'll hate that..." Hinata needs to do _something_ convincing or her father will never let her leave, She starts to pace, "and...and I hate this! I hate this _place _and I hate this _lifestyle_ and...and I hate _you._"

No, she doesn't. She can't really bring herself to hate _anyone_. She's more...indifferent towards her father, not hateful.

"I see." Is all the elder Hyuga says. Hinata feels cold fear wash over her and all her father says as she exits the room is, "I see."

-:- -:- -:-

Sasuke leans against his car, annoyed and cold. The two things he always seems to be. He honestly doesn't know why _he_ had to be the one to pick up Hinata but he couldn't get out of it. Naruto had volunteered him and no one had anything else to say about it. Except Neji…but he'd already tried to murder the Uchiha once.

After about five minutes, Hinata rounds the corner into the park and spots him. She kind of deflates after that and Sasuke wonders if he should feel offended or something.

They get into his car without many words and Hinata sort of sinks into the seat and crosses her arms. Sasuke rolls his eyes internally and steps on the gas, he needs to get out of this neighborhood.

"I hate the business district. I hate the whole goddamn east side." Sasuke mutters more to himself than to her. This is the area where he grew up; he even played in that park. He hates it.

"Did anything happen while I was gone?" Hinata asks quietly.

"Not really." The Uchiha grunts out, he watches her peek at him from the corner of her eye and gets a good look at her at a red light. She looks paler and skinnier, like they hadn't fed or given her light during her visit. There are bags under her eyes and Sasuke can't blame her. Infiltration missions are hard, especially hard if you're going against your own father. "It's been quiet. Which is weird."

Hinata avoids his gaze and turns towards the window. He wonders if he should feel hurt by that...but then he remembers everything that had happened before. His stomach clenches...he really couldn't blame her if Hinata never spoke to him again. Instead of musing on it he says, "Tell me what you've learned from you father."

And so she tells him. He can't help but notices her shaking form as the words are said. She must've been scared. Not only that but she was alone the whole time. He listens to her information; his fingers tighten against the steering wheel when he hears about the Akatsuki. Nothing is going in The Leaf's favor as of late. Hiashi hasn't partnered with some pansy gang, he's partnered with _Akatsuki_. Great.

Everything else she's learned flows from her lips and she grips the edge of her seat. Akatsuki, traitors, and drugs. The latest news is of a chain of meth labs spreading through the city connected with her father. That, and weapons being imported from other countries. The Akatsuki are supposed to help distribute drugs and do Hiashi's 'dirty' work. Sasuke isn't sure how much dirtier it can possibly get but apparently assassination is big on the list.

In the end, all Hinata's father wants is power. All anyone wants is power. Power will destroy this city.

He knows this because he wants his own gang to gain more power only so that they can stop everyone else from gaining it.

It really makes no sense at all.  
Sasuke takes in the information in silence. His only sign of distress is the tightening of his fingers around the steering wheel. He shifts uncomfortably as Hinata continues to shake and for a moment, Sasuke allows himself to feel worry.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Hinata mutters, more to herself than him. "Just happy to be going home."

The silence will surely consume them both of them if one of them doesn't speak up. Sasuke almost feels like they're suffocating in it.

Finally after what seems like miles of silence Sasuke opens his mouth and utters, "I'm sorry." He's been meaning to say it for a while but couldn't bring himself to say it earlier. He's a proud bastard, saying he's sorry means that he's made a mistake-something he doesn't like to do often. But this...this is something important. If he doesn't apologize whatever had been between he and Hinata would just...disappear. "...For everything."

Hinata knows exactly what he's talking about and she closes her eyes, "Did you stop doing it?"

"Yeah." Sasuke cringes at the memory and gives a heavy sigh. Cocaine is no joke and being the genius he is, he should have known. "Yeah, I did. You're right, it's terrible for me."

"Okay." A smile tugs at the corners of her lips. Albeit, a tiny one, but at least she wears one.

"Okay?" Sasuke mutters back, confused, "Okay what?"

"I forgive you." Hinata mutters back, she watches street lights flicker on in the distance and then back at Sasuke.

Sasuke clears his throat, "Hn." When Hinata raises her eyebrow he says, "I hope we can be friends."

"Mm." Hinata nods and then smiles, "Friends sounds good to me."

Sasuke smirks, a weight has suddenly been lifted off his shoulders. He cruises down the street, nearing the headquarters and his apartment when a honk alerts him to attention.

He looks into his mirror to see Naruto's obnoxiously orange car in the distance and a more low-key green one behind that one. Naruto honks again.

"What does he want?" Hinata turns around in her seat to get a good look at Naruto's car but his lights are too bright.

"He wants to race." Sasuke smirks and Naruto pulls up beside his car, Lee's is on his left.

"Wait what?" Hinata quickly straps herself in again, "Are you good at racing?"

"Of course."

"Have you raced before?"

"Occasionally." Sasuke answers, "Not often."

"Don't crash, Okay?"

"I won't crash. Don't you trust me?" Sasuke gives her another smirk.

Hinata nods this time because yes, she actually does.

Because from the moment she stepped into the car with Sasuke, she felt safe.

**A/n: This was an 'eh' sort of chapter but I'm really glad I got to update on my day off school.**

**I'm approaching 200 reviews! Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to do so—along with faving and following. I really appreciate it.**

**That being said…review!**

**C:**


	23. twenty-two

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 22**

****Hinata steps out of the car with a racing heart and a big smile. She's finally home and it relieves her from all of the stress she's been feeling. Sasuke comes to stand by her and together they walk towards the HQ, although late, he says that everyone is waiting there, expecting her return.

****That makes her feel even better. Her heart swells and she forgets everything bad that had happened while she was with her father.

******"**Look," Sasuke speaks up as they near the entrance. "Before you get bombarded, I just wanted to thank you."

****Hinata tilts her head a little and she shifts nervously, "Um, for what?"

****Sasuke lifts his shoulders and then drops them in a heavy shrug, "For dealing with all my shit. For being a part of this crappy gang."

****Hinata stares at her childhood friend, her Sasuke, and smiles lightly. Warmness spreads through her chest as Sasuke pulls her into his arms for a brief hug. Her head rests against his chest and for a moment and she can hear his fluttering heart.

****And then he lets her go, and shoves his hands in his pocket. He sends her a pointed look that says 'Go greet your friends.'

****Before she even enters the meeting room she is assaulted by a flurry of blonde and purple. Ino latches herself onto Hinata and smiles the brightest smile Hinata thinks she's ever seen. "I was _soooo_worried!" Ino mutters into her hair and tightening her grip on the girl. Hinata can only hug her back. She can feel moisture gather at the corners of her eyes but keeps herself from letting tears fall.

****Ino steps back to look at her, her lips quirk downward for a second at Hinata's tired appearance before she slips her arm around the indigo haired girl's waist and sweeps her away from Sasuke, who is watching the pair amusedly.

****All the way Ino chatters animatedly about things that had happened in the last two weeks. Their help from Suna arrived, successful drug trades, and turf patrols. Apparently everything had been really...quiet.

****When she finally enters the room she is surprised to be engulfed by yet another pair of arms. She looks up surprised to see Neji pulling her against him in a brotherly embrace. Her lips lift in a small smile; Neji isn't usually so physically affectionate, and this really shows that he was worried for her. He places his chin atop her head and gives her a tight squeeze before releasing her.

******"**You've done well," He says.

******"**You haven't even heard what I've discovered yet-" Hinata argues, blushing from the praise a little.

******"**No matter," Neji gives a quick smile, "You did it, and that's what counts. You went against your own flesh and blood...for us."

****Neji's acknowledgment is met by a beat of silence before Kiba wraps an arm around the former Hyuga and gives her a warm squeeze. "I'm glad you're back."

****Hinata goes pink at all the sudden attention, she feels all warm and fuzzy inside and a smile breaks across her face.

****She's so glad to be home.

-:- -:- -:-

_Snap._

****The pencil breaks in two and Deidara throws the remains to the side. He's really too angry to do anything at the moment. Sketching or _something_is supposed to calm him down but he can only feel more anger boiling in the pit of his stomach.

****Two weeks ago he'd had his meeting with Hiashi, and the Akatsuki are just now discussing it.

****The Akatsuki meeting going on at the moment is what is _really _pisses him off. To be honest, he doesn't know _why_he even joined the stupid gang. But he'd been a freshman when he joined, and he'd been stupid. And in the end, all the assholes had been family at some point in his fucked up mind.

****It was kinda weird to think about, them all being some sort of group of 'friends.' But they'd all matured and the weird bonds were severed. They'd morphed into more of a criminal organization instead of a gang to fight oppression-their original purpose.

****Now they all sort of hate each other. It's weird how it happened, but it may have to do with the fact that they're all somewhat mentally unstable.

****Sasori stares at him from beside him before his gaze turns simply annoyed. He turns to look back at Leader, who's ranting about something that Deidara probably doesn't give a fuck about.

****He glances around the room, anger and annoyance fueling his every thought. All he wants to do is go home, not sit around and listen to them talk about how many people they've killed. He looks around at Hidan and Kakuzu, lounging in the corner, sorta-kinda listening. He doesn't mind them too much-as long as they don't bother him. Zetsu is next to them, probably being fucking weird. Deidara hates the guy, mostly because he just creeps him out. Tobi, the overactive idiot, practically still a _kid_, is listening attentively while simultaneous bouncing up and down consuming...candy. Deidara's gazes turns toward the big, blue haired, Kisame. The only member besides Sasori that doesn't annoy the hell out of him.**  
**Finally Deidara's sharp eyes turn on the Uchiha. He can't say he _wouldn't_murder the bastard, if given the chance. All of a sudden the Uchiha shows up out of nowhere, demanding power, and screaming for Sasuke. It's _weird. _Plus, he's much too arrogant for his own good.

****Deidara's eyes narrow for a second and linger on the dark haired male, wondering what his intentions truly are.

****Deidara finally shrugs and turns back to Leader's rant. These meetings are always boring as hell, even with the members trying to make things as lively as possible. Deidara distracts himself by picking dried clay out from under his fingernails and closing his eyes.

****He doesn't fucking care about any of this.

**"**-the fuck? The bitch is like-this big," Hidan is saying, making some gesture as to describe someone's size. Deidara jerks out of his almost-slumber because of Hidan's too-fucking-loud voice. "She can't possibly be a threat."

**"**It would do you well not to underestimate people," Itachi replies in such a cool way that Deidara finds himself sneering from annoyance.

****Hidan mutters something along the lines of "fuck off," and "Sacrifice you to Jashin-sama,' before Leader cuts him off with an annoyed stare.

**"**Itachi is right," The leader of the Akatsuki replies, "The Hyuga has become a huge factor in this. A huge threat."

**"**So kill her." Kakuzu says offhandedly, way passed tired of this annoying meeting. He'd rather be gambling.

****Deidara sits up, suddenly aware of what this conversation implies. He looks at Sasori for confirmation, an almost wild look to his eyes. Sasori slowly turns his head to stare at his friend, knowing that the unasked question is about the small indigo haired artist. His amber eyes trace over the terrorist's tense shoulders before he admits a long sigh. Sasori tips his head up in a short 'yes,' gesture before elbowing his friend in the side to get him to stop acting like a fucking lunatic.

****A wave of fear washes over the blonde. It's so foreign that he has to stop to process the emotion. He glances down at his hands, knuckles turning white from how tightly his fists are closed. He shoves tense hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and attempts to shove his emotions aside.

****All he knows at the moment is that a rival gang member, who happens be Hinata, is in trouble with his own gang-and that suddenly he cares _way_too much.

**"**-with Hiashi. She's working as The Leaf's rat. She knows too much and is becoming a danger to this organization as well as her...father's."

****Someone suggests murder again and Deidara can't stop his eyes from flashing and his fists from clenching. A snarl pulls at the corners of his mouth but he relaxes his face-suddenly interested in the conversation.

**"**If we kill her ourselves, it would cause an immediate altercation with The Leaf and their ally, Suna along with whoever else they've partnered with," distaste laces Itachi's voice and he speaks of The Leaf as if it the dirtiest thing that could ever sprout from his lips. "We need a different approach." Itachi's eyes pass over Deidara's stormy ones for a moment his eyebrows tug down for just a millisecond.

****But the sculptor is not looking at him. His eyes are on Konan, trying to catch hers in his gaze. He wants to know if she's the one who told on Hinata-the girl he cares too much for now. Konan's dark eyes look back and she gives a sharp shake of her head; no, she did not tell Leader about the girl. She maybe had been planning on it, but the leak of information was no fault of hers.

****Locking eyes with Deidara she utters, "Our i_nside source _tells us that the girl has told The Leaf everything. Including your arrival, Itachi."

**"**Hn." Was the asshole's only reply.

****The blonde feels a rush of anger. It was the snitch. Someone Hinata has considered her _friend_, her fellow gang member. He hadn't been trying to piss her off when he refused to tell her who it was-he honestly doesn't know himself. The information had not been given to him or several other members in the Akatsuki. He had never cared...but he does now. So he can kill them.

****The ferocity of his thoughts surprise him because he shouldn't care _this_much.

****It only manages to anger him more.

**"**Don't worry about it," Leader grunts, "We, specifically, won't kill her. Hiashi will handle it on his own time. I'll contact him soon to tell him the news of his trusted little girl. In the meantime, she'll still be added to our list..."

-:- -:- -:-

**"**I really can't believe this," Sasori says amusement evident in amber eyes with a sarcastic smile stretched across his aristocratic face. He watches Deidara pace and and huff angrily in front of him. "I can't believe you might actually feel something for some random bitch."`

****Deidara's fist clench at the word. His lips turn into a snarl and his eyes darken in the blink of an eye.**  
**He can't deny that he's come to feel _something_for the _nezumi_but he won't quite admit to himself what.

**"**So what are you going to do about it?" The redhead continues- in his usual aloof tone but his eyes are brighter than usual. The dance with amusement at his friend's obvious distress.

****The amusement fades just as quickly as it came as Deidara's face becomes more and more serious. He shakes with visible anger, at what? Sasori can't say.

**"**Fuck." Deidara swings his arm in a large arch before his fist goes through the plaster. Dust and pieces of the wall fly and Sasori blinks.

****After a few seconds Sasori's amusement is completely gone and his face is full of hesitation, "Wait...do you serious like this gir-"

**"**I don't fucking _know, _un." Deidara is fluttering around the room like a caged bird, "I need to think. Fuck."

****Sasori's eyebrows raise at the response, and when he looks up again, Deidara is gone leaving a gaping hole in his wake.

****_Great_, Sasori's frown deepens. _Things just got a lot more complicated._

-:- -:- -:-

Nimble fingers yank up a dark hood over a mass of disheveled blonde hair. Deidara steps out onto the slush that's taken over the ground. He angrily walks down the street, stomping and making the dirty messy snow and slush splash all over his shiny shoes and the legs of his pants.

****He's really too angry to care.

****The only coherent thoughts in his mind now are that 1.) Hinata has a death wish, 2.) Deidara cares about her-the amout of this is unknown but the words 'like you enough,' may apply, and 3.) Deidara is going to go against his gang, everything he knows, just to help a girl.

****In the end, Deidara ends up angrier. Mostly with himself-but his gang is astrong runner up for first. His blood boils and his fists clench for like the tenth time that day. His gang is stupid and he's stuck with all of their stupid fucking drama-and he can't get out. Even if he wanted to (which he doesn't, really) they're helping him pay for college next year.

****But that thought only makes him angrier. That-and the fact that he had once _cared_for those assholes.

But that had been years ago. Now they're all power hungry bastards.

****That's not to say he isn't one of them

****But still, he's caught up in their stupid trap and what's worse...he doesn't even feel like leaving.

****That only makes the blonde angrier. It seems to be an endless cycle of anger. His eyes become the darkest blue they've ever been. Deidara's always known he had a temper problem, so it all makes sense that when someone 'accidentally' shoves into and mutters 'faggot' under their breath that he swings on him with all the power in his right hand.

****His fist goes right across the guys jaw and a smirk comes across Deidara's face as two of the guy's buddies rush to help him.

****Three on one. It wouldn't be a fair match if it was anyone but Deidara fighting.

****At long last, Deidara feels relief from all his anger. He dodges, hits, kicks, and pounds his anger into flesh instead. The shuffle lasts for a while, with Deidara winning. After he planted both feet on the first guy's chest, he's been ahead. His anger makes his punches stronger.

****A fist comes out of nowhere and catches him right in the jaw. He's hit so hard, he's almost scared it's broken, but he moves it around a little and a splitting smile comes across his face.

****The three guys look scared out of their minds.

****His grin widens, although his gang is stupid as shit, it's strong as hell.

****There's a reason he's a member, after all.

-:- -:- -:-

****Deidara can think of a hundred reasons why this is a bad fucking idea. The most important one is that he is unarmed, injured, and bravely walking through enemy turf as if he owns the place.

****His mom had always told him that his arrogance would kill him one day.

****The blonde comes to stand in front of the house he thinks is right and rings the doorbell three times.

****His fingers stress to move as he's probably broken a couple and has completely torn up his knuckles. His pale hands are red, and the skin on his knuckles are blotching and peeling off. He really gave those assholes a beating.

****He looks at his reflection from the glass of the screen door. The Akatsuki member looks like complete shit. There's dirt all in his prized blonde hair and there's the other guy's blood on his cheek. He has a small cut on his lip and a pretty badly bruised jaw.

****That's not bad for someone who went against three people alone.

****The door finally opened and an older, less pretty, drunken version of Hinata appears, studying Deidara with hazy eyes and an inviting smiles.

**"**Uh..." Deidara scratches his head. Deidara doesn't get the chance to ask for Hinata before the woman is already yelling for her...albeit with slurring speech.

**"**Kaasan, please." Hinata's voice is heard from somewhere and Deidara can only grimace when a feeling of relief washes over him-like he's glad she's not dead.

****Hinata's mother disappears from view and Hinata pops up only a few seconds later. When she sees him, a look of anger and confusion cross her face. Her fingers tighten on the doorknob and she hesitates.

****Finally she settles on, "W-w," She clears her throat. "What do you want now?"

****Despite his anger, Deidara can feel a smirk tug at the corners of his lips. The stutter brings back the feeling of distinct relief.

****The damaged gang member seats himself on Hinata's cold cement steps and takes out a cigarette. He pats the seat next to him, asking her to join him. The Hyuga hesitates for a minute or two before she finally seats herself-albeit far away from him.

****They sit in silence for a while. Deidara hunches over and attempts to light a cigarette. He angrily moves his scarf out the way and makes a shield with his hand for the flame as he brings the lighter to the cancer stick resting between his lips. He lights Hinata's too. They sit in more silence with him making smoke circles while simultaneously rubbing his sore jaw.

****Hinata catches him and frowns, "-You're bleeding..." She mutters and sort of swipes her fingers across the length of his cheek. It sends warmth through him and Deidara can't help but look away.

**"**It's the other guy's blood, yeah." He says, brushing off her worry. He tosses his head and blows a stream of smoke out his mouth. Five perfect smoke rings pollute the air.

****While his head is in that position, Hinata's fingers trail his bruised jaw line. Her hands light as feathers but her fingers cause cool tingles as her fingertips feel like little blocks of ice. Deidara thinks she needs to be more worried about freezing to death than helping him.

****Hinata's cigarette rests forgotten between her lips as she frowns at the male's newly sustained injuries. Here he is, sitting in the cold on a freezing cement steps, smoking like nothing had even happened. Like he isn't even on enemy turf.

****What an idiot.

****Deidara almost leans his head towards her touch-almost. But he lets her fuss over him. She hardly notices that she's doing it- must be something the 'old' Hinata would do.

****He'd of liked to know that Hinata.

**"**I need to get you some ice..." Hinata finally says, removing her hands. Deidara sighs and shakes away the feeling of her lingering touch.

**"**Wait, un." Deidara's hands close around her cold one, slightly pulling her back, "I need to tell you something."

****But Hinata just gasps when she looks at his red knuckles, "Your knuckles are busted," She clucks her tongue at him-probably something else the 'old' Hinata would do too. "Stay here, I need to get you some bandages and rubbing alcohol."

****Deidara stays, despite what his instincts tell him. He takes a drag from the cigarette and flexes his fingers a little, the cold helps take the sting away. He muses on the enigma that is Hinata. She must know that it's dangerous for him to be there on her turf, yet she lets him sit on her porch and tries to fix her injuries. For all she knows, he could be sent on a mission to kill one of her comrades, and was just making a pit stop at her home for a visit. Besides that, Hinata has to be wondering why Deidara is suddenly talking to her-what, about two weeks ago Deidara was saying he wanted nothing to do with her. Deidara takes another drag from his cigarette and stares at the street ahead of him.

****Hinata returns and sits back next to him-closer now. She wraps his hand carefully in white gauzy material after sanitizing the wound or whatever. Deidara watches her face as she focuses on his hand, calm and controlled and the epitome of beautiful.

****The bomber feels tingles of anger again. How could the Akatsuki want to destroy someone so innocent?

****Then Hinata looks up, all the gentleness and worry gone from her eyes, reminding him that she's _not_gentle at all and that she's seen and _done_bad things and that's she's in her own gang. His rival gang.

And then everything is all _wrong_again.

****Deidara blows smoke from his nose and stares straight ahead of him as Hinata finishes working on his hands.

**"**Why are you here though?" Hinata's eyes finally narrow at him, her lips thin out, and her eyebrows crash over her eyes in a frightful sort of glare. He's been waiting for that look-the cold calculating look all Hyuga seem to wear-he's noticed it in her father too.

****The only difference is the bit of dry humor that lurks behind Hinata's gaze...he assumes this is a look only the 'new' Hinata would wear.

****She turns pink only seconds later, seeming to realize how close they are and how she's still holding his newly bandaged hands in her lap. She releases him quickly.

****Deidara can't help but let his lips quirk up at her suddenly squeamish behavior but its quickly erased when he remembers why he's here in the first place.

**"**I came...to warn you, un."

****Hinata blinks her strange light eyes at him. The wind blows around them and the little glow of orange at the ends of their cigarettes start to fade. Hinata crushes hers on the cement.

**"**Warn me?" She questions, her tone different from before, "About what?"

****Deidara takes his long woolen black scarf off and tosses it around her shoulders in what could be perceived as a careless manner. But Hinata knows better, she clutches the fabric in her finds as the wind blows around their hair in a mass of indigo and blonde.

**"**The snitch." Deidara stands on his feet, suddenly restless. "-Told about your involvement with your father." Deidara keeps his words clipped so as not to let angry words slip passed his lips, "You're on out lists, yeah. Do you know what that means?" His eyes lock with hers making sure that she understands every single word.

****Hinata manages to shake her head the tiniest bit and Deidara sighs.

**"**It means they want you dead, yeah. Soon."

****The only thing that fills the silence is the whistle of the wing and the harsh sounds of wind chimes a few house down, hitting against each roughly in a sign of defiance.

**"**I-" for a moment a wild fear appears in Hinata's eyes. She shakes for a moment. "Do you know _who-"_

****Deidara knew this question was coming. The snitch. "I honestly don't know, un. Honest."

**"**I-okay. What-I-" Tears gather around the corners of her eyes but when Deidara blinks, they're gone.

**"**You need to go somewhere." Deidara swallows his pride, almost biting his tongue off, "Go see U...Uchiha or your cousin."

****The wind whips his hair around and he almost misses the warmth that's suddenly filled Hinata's eyes. For a moment, he thinks it for Sasuke or Neji but when Hinata's warm body presses against his and her hands, shaking, come to clutch his jacket, he knows it's for him. "Thank y-you. I'd be dead without you."

****Deidara returns the hug, squeezing her little body before releasing her. Snowflakes the size of golf balls fall from the sky.

**"**Be safe, yeah."

**"**You too..."

****Then he disappears around the corner and into the snow and scary unknown.

****Hinata wraps the black scarf around her twice, tucking the end part-the piece with the tiny red cloud sewn into it, into her coat and over her nose. It smells like him; like paint and clay and cologne mixed in with the scent of smoke.

****For a second she feels warm with the scarf, like she's wrapped in an embrace, then she runs all the way to Ino's house.

****She's wanted dead, after all.

****

an: Ehheehe look guys, I'm not dead! Sorry for the late update, I struggled from loss of inspiration and hella schoolwork!

**So I give you a pretty much Deidara based chapter that's pretty long in length. Things should pick up from here ~.~ mhmmm. I'm trying to add a couple more twists that hopefully wouldn't completely fuck up my plot chart but we'll see what happens.**

******ALSO HUGE THANKS TO YOU ALL. ****I've reached 200+ reviews and so many wonderful faves and subscriptions for this fic. It means the world to me.**

**I do have a cover picture now! Thanks to my beta, ****AnnaliseIsmeneRomano **(omg guys is that her name because honestly its too hard for me to remember it. (Sorry Liz. eheh))** who drew it and got some ideas from one of my readers ****blackirishawk.**** Go check them out for me!**

**Anyway, long author's note! But review!**

**Toodles~**


	24. twenty-three

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 24**

Hinata picks at the edge of Sasuke and Naruto's ratty couch, watching the snow and ice fall from outside. The sound of a judge show plays in the background on the tv in front of her, but she's not paying attention. She's alone for now, which is weird, considering they hadn't been left alone since she told them about the death threat.

****That isn't to say that she's content. She's not even at home. She's been imprisoned at Naruto and Sasuke's place and has been given a killing device for her own protection. **  
**"_I__ts __ for your protection, " _They say, **"**_They'll be looking for you everywhere."_

****It's not like Hinata has tried to deny this fact, she's just annoyed with the situation. It's not like her to stay in one place for too long.

****She turns back to the Judge show. Some guy is suing because his ex-girlfriend threw all his belongings out of the window after he cheated on her and didn't pay the rent. The girlfriend claims that she threw nothing and simply set his things outside and a bunch of other bull. Hinata frowns at the tv and presses her almost burnt out cigarette against the ash tray.

Her friends are out doing gang-things, and she's stuck inside, hiding. She blames Neji, but she can't really be mad at him at all.

Even if the whole 'Hide Hinata,' idea was his.

****She shuffles to her feet and staggers across the apartment and to the fridge. There's really nothing in there but left over ramen, junk food, and tomatoes-which is pretty ridiculous. She grabs a tomato anyway and goes to slice it up and add seasoning. She doesn't like biting into them plain...unlike that weirdo Sasuke.

****The front door swings open with a clang, causing Hinata to practically jump out of her skin. The heiress puts a hand over her fluttering chest and clutches the knife she's just pulled out.

**"**Chill out." Sasuke enters his apartment without so much of a glance at the scared female. "It's just me."

****Hinata releases a breath she didn't know she was holding. "You scared me."

**"**Hn." Sasuke sheds his leather jacket and lets it fall on the couch. "Are you eating my tomatoes?"

**"**There's really nothing else to eat.." Hinata rolls her eyes as Sasuke stalks over and steals a slice, scrutinizing it. "Um, is there something wrong?"

**"**Why did you put pepper on it?"

**"**To make it taste better..." Hinata trails off, decidedly done with Sasuke's weird antics. She puts half a slice in her mouth a chews as Sasuke grabs a whole tomato for himself.

**"**That's weird." Sasuke says plainly, taking a bite out of his own red fruit.

****Hinata snorts. Yeah, because eating a whole tomato plain _isn't. _The ex-heiress chews and swallows the fruit before finally deciding to ask her question-it's now or never.

**"**Can I go-"

**"**No."

**"**B-But you didn't listen to my-"

**"**What is it then?"

**"**Can I run to my house and get my-"

**"**The answer is still no."

****Hinata's smile turns into a frown before she turns away from the annoying raven haired gang leader. She's been held _prisoner_ever since she and Ino ran to Neji's house and told him all about how she's wanted dead.

****It's not like she's not scared or anything...she's _terrified_, but that doesn't mean she has to be babysat 24/7.

****Sasuke sighs back at her and says, "What do you need? I'll have someone get it for you."

****Hinata mumbles something incoherent under her breath and throws a scowl Sasuke's way.

**"**What was that?" His lips quirk up in an amused kind of smirk at Hinata's annoyed posture.

**"**Can I at least go outside?"

**"**Sure," Sasuke jerks his head to the left. "The balconies over there."

**"**It's not like they're going to come take me off our turf-"

****Sasuke releases a short laugh and lifts himself off the couch, "Yeah? Where'd you get that idea?" He stands across from the small indigo haired girl and shakes his head. "That's bullshit and you know it."

****Hinata lets out a long sigh, '"I _know_. " She rubs her arms self-consciously, "I feel like I'm endangering you guys by-"

**"**Shut _up._**" **Sasuke cuts her off easily. He lets the words sink in before continuing, "We're not in any more danger than we were before. Besides, they want us all dead in the end. They just want you dead _now._**"**

**"**...Was that supposed to make me feel any better?"

****Sasuke is silent for a couple of seconds before snorting, "You're so full of it, Hyuga. You just hide it better than Neji."

**"**..." Hinata blushes, surprised. "I-"

**"**You?" Sasuke raises his eyebrows, "You what?"

**"**I hate you," Hinata mumbles under her breath, angrily tearing apart of her tomato.

****Sasuke snorts again,"No you don't."

**"**Whatever," Hinata shifts uncomfortably after a moment of silence, "W-what did you guys do today?"

**"**Nothing too important." Sasuke mutters, hardly paying attention to her now, "We re-established some bonds with local dealers and briefed Tsunade with what's going on with you...Kiba and Naruto went to take out a few of Akatsuki's dealers earlier today."

**"**Mm," Hinata mumbles, mulling over the news, "...Anything I can do?"

**"**I think you've done enough," Sasuke says, his dark eyes run over Hinata's concerned frame and for a moment he feels pride. He's proud that she's apart of his gang, that she continues to worry and work for them no matter what happens. "You're already wanted dead, I mean what more can you do right now?"

****Hinata cracks a smile and Sasuke almost smirks back before he stops himself. "I don't know...I feel useless doing nothing."

**"**Just relax." Sasuke rolls his eyes, "You're pretty useless doing anything else anyway."

**"**S-shut _up_, Sasuke." Hinata turns away from him before she can start giggling. She's glad this whole 'being friends' thing is working out, shes been worrying about since she came back. Her and Sasuke have never had a 'normal' relationship with each other.

****Sasuke smirks at her, "Why are you laughing? I was serious."

**"**Hn." She imitates him poorly, she covers her mouth to stop giggles from erupting from her.

****Sasuke raises his eyebrows before flicking her on the forehead, "Nice try...I guess."

**"**Ow.." She whines, rubbing the red spot just under her bangs. She turns to try to punch the stupid Uchiha in the shoulder but fails as he dodges easily.

**"**I beat you once already, remember?" He cocks his head in that stupid Uchiha way and his eyes dance with amusement. Teasing Hinata is one of his favorite things.

**"**Shut up!" Hinata doesn't feel like she can tell him to be quiet enough as she races around the kitchen to try to punch the asshole. She bites her lip to keep from smiling and she chases after Sasuke down his long hallway.

****Her socks slide along the hardwood floor and the heiress ends up flying into him in the least graceful way possible. Hinata lands on her butt but the gang leader remains triumphant and on his feet. He sends her a smirk that screams arrogance, but it's quickly replaced with a scowl when Hinata kicks him in the leg while simultaneously pulling him downward. Sasuke quickly looses his footing and lands on the ground right next to her.

**"**Fuck you." Sasuke mutters, rubbing his sore backside. No one ever said he knew how to properly talk to a lady. He glares and flicks her in the face again.

**"**Y-you started it," is Hinata's only comment, her butt probably hurting a helluva lot more than Sasuke's. "-And that's not how to talk to a lady."

**"**Well I don't see any near so.."

**"**F...Fuck _you._**"**

**"**It sounds like you choked on your own spit before you could even get the word out."

**"**I hate you." Hinata whines again, coloring slightly and kicking Sasuke's leg away from her. She remains seated though, eyes light and smile glowing. She's not so mad that she's imprisoned anymore.

**"**Whatever," Sasuke responds, his smirk says he doesn't believe her. He picks up the scarf that had fallen off Hinata's shoulders from earlier before standing to his feet and offers Hinata a hand.

****Hinata takes his surprised. She's even more surprised when he lets go when she's in the middle of standing and she lands on her butt again. "Wow, y-you're actually _so _rude I-"

**"**Do you know what this is?" Sasuke cuts her off suddenly. His tone is different this time, not as playful. It's his usual tone, aloof and distant. Hinata doesn't like it.

**"**What?" Hinata stands on her own this time and freezes when she notices what Sasuke's staring at. It's the scarf given to her by Deidara. She's been wearing for a couple days now...having forgotten the symbol on the corner.

**"**The red cloud. Akatsuki." Sasuke's eyes narrow, "Why do you have this?"

****Hinata's heart jumps into her throat, "I know what this looks like..."

**"**Yeah?" Sasuke eyes are dark and angry, he tosses the scarf in her direction. His mind is racing-he trusted her and then _this_? Like _really?_

**"**I'm not with them!" Hinata's voice comes out rushed and out of breath, she rushes to Sasuke's side. "I-I mean. This was given to me. I mean—Deidara-_shit._**"**

**"**Hm." Sasuke stalks across the room, "You with him or something?" His voice condescending if not a little hurt. There's subtle apprehension in his movements, he's moving too fast yet not doing much of anything at all.

**"**_No." _Hinata grabs his shoulder, "Look Sasuke, I'm not the snitch okay? I'm not." She's yelling by this point, "I'll tell you everything, will you just listen to me?"

**"**What's there to tell?" Sasuke grabs her arm and spins her around. His grip is hard but his eyes are harder, "That you're just Deidara's bitch?"

****Hinata frowns and shakes out of Sasuke's grip. Where did _that_ come from? "You know I would never betray The Leaf." She doesn't touch him but her eyes hold his gaze, "You know me."

**"**Not really. Not anymore."

**"**You _knew_me. I'm still the same."

**"**Hyuga, treason is punishable by death."

****Her voice shakes, "We're friends. _Friends _hear other friends out, okay? Just listen to me and I'll tell you about all of my interactions with Deidara. I didn't betray you, Deidara betrayed his own gang, really. He saved my life."

-:- -:- -:-

**"**You really know how to fuck everything up." Sasuke mutters to Hinata, even though the girl is half asleep on his couch. He watches her eyes flutter slightly in sleep, her eyelashes like feathers that brush against her cheeks.

****Sasuke curses to himself as he picks up the damned scarf again. The black wool scarf smells like shit; like clay and fire; definitely characteristics of the erratic bomber. Sasuke doesn't know whether to burn it or to give it back to the sleeping girl.

****He's decided to believe her story...it makes sense, but that doesn't mean he's happy about it. Obviously the blonde has feelings for the former heiress...but hopefully he won't do anything about it. This isn't fucking _Romeo and Juliet _or more similarly _The West Side Story, _everyone just needs to grow the fuck up real fast. It doesn't help that Sasuke feels _this _annoyed about the whole Deidara situation. He really just wants to kill the guy but at the same time he feels indebted to him, he did warn Hinata after all. (Sasuke refuses to say that the blonde _saved_her.-that's where Hinata exaggerates.)

****And that's where Sasuke's confusion becomes anger. He can't want to kill someone and feel indebted to them at the same time! It's fucking weird.

****Sasuke stops balling the scarf up in his hands and tosses it on the sleeping girl. He would've never imagined that this girl, his childhood friend, would be here with him in this mess, sleeping on his couch with a death warrant and pyromaniac as a stalker.

****Sasuke sighs and pulls out a blanket to put over her shoulder before Neji comes to pick her up. He stare at her peaceful face, the pout of her lips and her relaxed muscles. Hair falls over her shoulders and face and Sasuke has to stop himself from moving it out the way.

****Sasuke shakes his head and goes into his room, he has to stop himself from doing a lot of things.

-:- -:- -:-

******"**C'mon. Wake up." Sasuke flicks Hinata in the forehead, right under her bangs again. "You have to leave."

****Hinata whines and mutters something incoherent back. It sounded something like "fuq u sasugay.' But Sasuke might just be hearing things.

****Neji growls as Sasuke flicks his cousin again, "Move." Neji shoves the dark haired teen out of the way and gently shakes the girl awake.

****Hinata finally sits up and stretches. She continues to whine as she grabs the scarf and wraps it around her neck-Sasuke watches her do this, a frown pulling at the corner of his lips. He knew he should've burned it.

******"**Who's idea was this?" Hinata mumbles aloud. "Why do I have to change houses?"

******"**It's better if you don't stay in one place for an extended period of time." Neji answers.

******"**Your cousin doesn't want you to stay overnight in the same apartment with me and Naruto-he thinks we're perverts."

******"**You _are_perverts." Neji replies, rolling his eyes. "Let's go before it gets too late."

******"**Will changing houses really matter?" Hinata asks again as she sleepily puts her shoes on.

******"**Well," Sasuke says, "The first place they'll look is on our turf. Neji doesn't live on our turf and they have no idea where he's located, you'll be fine there for a couple days before you change locations again."

******"**When can I stop changing locations?" This arrangement will be the bane of her existence.

******"**Sooner or later," Neji says, taking long steps towards the door, "Come on, it's getting late."

******"**Mm!" Hinata says, she quickly gives Sasuke a sweet one armed hug-which he sort of returns- before skipping out of the apartment to follow her cousin.

****She jogs down the stairs beside him before coming to his car, she slips into the front seat and grins cheekily at him, "I heard you were with Tenten~"

****Neji grunts and gracefully drops into the driver's seat, "Where did you hear that?"

****"Ino!" Hinata smiles as Neji shifts uncomfortably, "What did you guys do?"

******"**Nothing that concerns you." Neji replies in that way of his. He doesn't even look at her, he keeps his eyes straight ahead but Hinata notices the lightest of pinks dust his cheeks.

"Hyuga Neji, are you blushing?"

******"**I don't blush-"

****It was as if Neji was praying for a distraction because his back windshield shatters into a million tiny pieces.

****Hinata's heart drops into the stomach. She panics as gunshots begin to ring through the air. She stops breathing, she stops thinking. All she can do is fear. These people are trying to kill her. _Her._

****But Neji is there. His previous playful face is gone. He reaches under his seat and pulls out two big guns and tosses on to Hinata. He doesn't register anything as he drives down a tiny alley and dials a few quick numbers on his phone.

****He's the epitome of calm.

******"**What-" Hinata catches her breath, "-Do I do with this?" Hinata holds up the heavy weapon and already feels her palms begin to sweat.

******"**Shoot people." Neji responds offhandedly, barely even paying attention to Hinata's obvious distress.

His venture through the alley has only granted them a few seconds. In that amount of time he's dialed Sasuke and muttered only a few quick words, "We're under attack. Nagahashi street. South. Unknown number of pursuers. Hurry the fuck up."

****Neji drives down the street, running more red lights than Hinata's ever seen. His eyes connect with Hinata's in the rear-view mirror before he says, "You see that car behind us?"

****Hinata nods-her throat tightening, but the adrenalin in her system helps her stay focused.

******"**I need you to shoot at it."

******"**Right-I can do that." Hinata says, although she doesn't know if Neji can even comprehend her words as they sound all jumbled in her speech. She leans out the window and lets out a string of bullets-almost one hundred percent sure she's doing it wrong. It becomes evident that she _can't _do that. The wind blows her hair into her eyes and the machine is just too heavy for her to aim and shoot steadily.

******"**Okay, obviously this isn't working." Neji's words are clipped and annoyed as they avoid a rain of bullets. His backseat window shatters. "Let's switch places."

******"**What?!"

******"**Just. Do. It." Neji glares at her hard and presses his foot down on the gas. "You steer while I get to your side."

****Hinata feels bile raise up her throat the way it always does under stressful situations. She nods feebly and grabs the steering wheel as her and Neji attempt to make the switch. Another wave of bullets disrupts her concentration but she finally plants one foot on the gas and Neji is free to maneuver under her and into the other seat. Hinata is only relieved as her butt hits the leather driver's seat of the car safely.

******"**Good job." Neji manages as he picks up both guns and does the job she had previously been assigned. Hinata doesn't know how he can manage to give praise at a time like this.

******"**This is the work of the snitch," Neji says frankly, "They would've never know where you where. They would've never known when you were leaving."

****Hinata's fingers tighten on the wheel as she continues to listen to Neji's directions. Lights pass over their head illuminating Neji's hard angry face, he alternates between shooting out of the passenger side and the broken back windshield.

******"**I took out about two cars," Neji mutters. He reloads the gun and glances at Hinata, shaken and pale, "You okay?"

******"**I've been better," She mutters. She continues to drive fast, she's never driven at this speed in her life but she gotten real good at it real fast. She turns another corner quickly to be safe, even though the attacks seem to have stopped.

****Hinata let's herself enjoy a moment of relief and Neji speaks quickly into the phone beside her, periodically checking their surroundings and reloading the guns.

******"**Naruto is coming up behind us-_Hinata Watch out!"_

****Hinata turns her head to the right to fast she's scared she snapped it, but the fear is quickly drained out of her as every part of her body freezes. The headlights are coming faster and faster and they're not stopping. Oh God they're not stopping, and the car _isn't going. _Hinata is sure she's pressing the gas petal.

****Neji is closest to the oncoming vehicle but he doesn't utter a word. Hinata tenses up and grabs his hand.

****All Hinata sees is light.

****She sees light and then nothing at all.

****

A/**N: Wow cliffy am i evil or what?****  
Hints of SasuHina, **** mhmmm I didn't forget about them!**

**Hinata feels very grating in this chapter to me, but I guess it's justifiable since she's wanted dead and is stressed out etc.**

**I'm sort of working on the next chapter hopefully I'll update next weekend but no promises.**

**Wow 'kay bye.**

**Review~**


	25. twenty-four

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 24**

"Shit." Sasuke can smell the crash before he can see it. The scent of burning metal fills his nostrils and he grimaces. "Shit. Shit. _Shit." _

******"**What's going on?" Kiba and Tenten are suddenly there, with Ino and Shikamaru in tow. They're all in his way at the moment, he rips through then, shoving them harshly aside. "What the fuck happened?!"

******"**Get out of my way." Sasuke mutters, he breaks into a sprint and steps to the corner, heart thudding heavily in his chest. He comes to see a heap of twisted metal and smoke and has to stop to pull himself together. He looks quickly at his blonde counterpart before facing the wreck ahead of him, "Naruto pull Neji out, I've got Hinata."

****The car had been hit so hard it had landed on it's side, Hinata's side. That goes to say that Neji's side is pretty fucked up.

****Sasuke slips towards the front of the vehicle as Naruto works on getting the door off. His breath comes out in short gasps as he looks through the already broken windshield to try to get to the smaller Hyuga.**  
**Time slows down and Sasuke can't quite comprehend anything. He can't hear Naruto calling for Sakura so she could help Neji, he doesn't see the six cop cars pull up, he can't hear his gangs confused and worried yells. All he sees is an empty driver's seat and a bloody leftover Akatsuki scarf.

****Fuck.

******"**Where the fuck is Hinata?" Sasuke can't breath he's so angry. He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a gun, ignoring the cops. He swears to God if he sees one of those Akatsuki or Hyuga bastards-he'll shoot them dead. That windshield break looks _too_clean right now, no loose pieces of glass. The absence of a spider glass break makes his skin crawl, it's not right.

******"**Neji. Where the hell is Hinata?" Sasuke can't even bring himself to feel bad for yelling at an injured man. Besides, Neji looks more pissed than hurt. Although the blood running down his face doesn't look too good-neither does the cut on his lip, the bruise around his eye and cheekbone, or the unnatural angle his arm is in.

****Actually the guy looks like he shouldn't even be conscious.

******"**Sasuke-don't yell at him, he's hurt," Sakura tries to say as she lays Neji down on the sidewalk and begins to try to stop the bleeding on Neji's head. A paramedic quickly approaches with a stretcher behind them but Naruto quickly distracts him, knowing that Sasuke needed to speak with Neji first. Naruto shrugs at them when the paramedic comes towards them anyway.

******"**They took her." Neji says, sitting up suddenly and then clutching his head quickly afterwards. He continues anyway, "They _took her. _They pulled her out of the fucking _window _and _left._Those bastards fucking _took her!"_

******"**Sir you need to calm down," The paramedic arrives looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.

******"**Fuck you."

******"**Neji, seriously you need to listen to the paramedic." Sakura pushes his shoulders down and he lets out a howl of pain, losing her patience with the hysterical Hyuga. "You have a broken collarbone and a broken arm. You probably have a concussion. Just calm down, okay?"

******"**They _took _her?" Sasuke runs a hand through his hair before becoming very still. A vein ticks on his forehead. Then slowly he releases a breath and says, "Who took her and where the hell did they go?"

****Neji throws up.

******"**Definitely a concussion..." Sakura confirms twisting her pink hair up and then assisting the paramedic in getting Neji onto the stretcher. She sends the paramedic and pitying look. "Sasuke you need to leave him alone for now."

******"**Fine whatever." Sasuke's hands search his pockets for cigarettes he doesn't have before coming to tighten into shaking fists. He gives up on that dead mission and pats Neji on the shoulder before the load him onto the ambulance.

******"**What's going on?" The rest of them catch up and crowd around Sasuke-all with the exception of Tenten and Lee who get on the back of the ambulance with Neji. Their faces lined with worry, all searching for the one person who isn't there.

****Sasuke looks to Naruto to explain because he's too pissed to form words.

******"**The 'snitch' told that Hinata was on the move. She and Neji were pursued. Enemy car slammed into them to stop them and pulled Hinata out right after."

******"**She's gone?" Ino echoes, her eyes wide with fear. She searches Sasuke and Naruto's eyes like they're fucking lying to her- like this is some hilarious prank.

****Sasuke snaps at her in annoyance, "What the fuck don't you understand about that? _She. was. taken. Away._**"**

******"**Uchiha, go chill out." Shikamaru takes out a cigarette and sighs. He's not even a leader of this damned gang and he finds himself taking charge when shit like this happens. "You won't help if you're freaking out on everyone. Kiba, can you and Akamaru search the enemy car for anything that might be helpful? Thanks. I'll talk to the police and try to smooth things over and press for info."

****Sasuke stalks away, rolling his shoulders and cursing under his breath. This whole snitch thing is getting out of hand-if they don't find out who it is, they'll be done with fast. It makes him so angry-the fact that there's someone in his gang that he's trusted for years-someone in his _family_- who's decided to throw all that away. And for what? For power? For money? The Leaf as both of which-for the most part. So what exactly is the snitch's drive?

****Sasuke sits down heavily on the curve. He's already ruled out everyone in his gang for being the snitch-which goes to say that he has no clue who it is. He's scanned every face, every motive, and every action any of them have taken and none seem suspicious. The only thing he can do is rule out the ones it _can't_be—and that's only a list composed of four people-the last two added because they are victims of the snitch's last tale. Naruto, Hinata, and Neji's names are all cleared according to Sasuke. As much as he'd like to add the rest of his gang's names to the list-he can't. He can't trust anyone right now.

******"**Tch." Sasuke stands easily as a smirking Shikamaru approaches him. He doesn't really know what the guy has to smirk about-but it better be good news.

******"**I decided that we should let the cops take care of this one, for the most part." Shikamaru tosses his pack of cigarettes to the gang leader, noticing his sour expression. At Sasuke's eyebrow lift the Nara boy elaborates. "They're handling this one as a kidnapping-for now. Eventually the Hyugas-assuming they're the kidnappees- will bribe the whole department into silence."

******"**Hn." Sasuke doesn't see why this is anything to smirk about. Shikamaru tosses him his lighter and continues.

******"**But until then, they can track Hinata's cell and probably find her location—which-"

******"**Could double as the secret Hyuga base." Sasuke continues. His eyebrows crash heavily over his eyes, "I don't really think-"

******"**Me neither. They wouldn't be stupid about their location. It may be just a meth lab of theirs or a weapon warehouse or something along those lines."

******"**Either way, if the cops pursued them-it'd be a bust." Sasuke and Shikamaru walk over to join Sakura and Naruto, "That is...if they get there on time. It may be beneficial if we just go ourselves and not involve the authorities."

******"**Its your call, Uchiha." Shikamaru lifts his shoulders in a lazy shrug. "Either way-we need to be fast or Hinata dies."

******"**Hn." Sasuke drops the cigarettes, "The cops are too slow for me, if you know what I mean."

-:- -:- -:-

******"**Dammit." Deidara flattens the clay against the palm of his hand, frowning heavily. Nothing about this project is going right for him, the whole this is complete and utter crap. He probably would've blown it up already if it wasn't for the fact that he needed one last piece for his portfolio submission. He molds the clay into another shape, hoping that it would work better than his previous try.

****On top of his project being shit, he couldn't really concentrate to save his life. He's been trying stay focused for the last hour but he has this annoying feeling in his gut-like something is wrong. Which is ridiculous because nothing important with his gang is happening tonight, so he should have nothing to worry about.

****Deidara stands and rifles around his tiny studio, searching for more clay and a molding tool, when a set of headlights shines through one of his windows outside. He moves slowly towards the door, wondering who would show up to his studio at this hour.

****The person wastes no time letting himself in. He reveals himself to be Deidara's red headed partner.

****Deidara peers at him curiously and seats himself back in his swivel chair in front of his project. "What's up?"

****Sasori makes a grunting sound and sits heavily in front of the blonde, eying his weird clay project before shaking his head, "My art is better."

****Deidara glares through his layer of blonde hair that's always in his face, "Is that what you came to tell me , un?"

******"**No." Sasori sighs again like he can't believe he's doing this. "You owe me a huge favor for this."

****Deidara only raises an eyebrow, "For coming here and complaining about my art?" He stabs a hole into the middle of a piece of clay with his thumb.

******"**No. For saving your girlfriend's ass."

******"**I don't have one of those, un." Deidara says offhandedly, ignoring the redhead now. Deidara doesn't have _girlfriends_he has...well...he has 'lady friends'.

****Sasori sighs again, contemplating going back home and going to bed. "The Hyuga bit—girl."

****Deidara stills suddenly, and then tries to cover it up by moving quickly. His hands remain still but he's suddenly very interested in what Sasori has to say, "Yeah? What about her, un?"

****Sasori rolls his eyes. Deidara can't be lowkey about anything, the boy obviously cares too much. "I overheard something...and thought you'd like to know." The redhead mutters, "Just don't go doing something stupid."

******"**Yeah whatever, un." Deidara finally sits up fully and looks Sasori in the eye. "What'd you hear?"

******"**Hiashi's ordered the capture of Hinata. The snitch told us that she was on the move tonight so Hiashi had one of his men intersect her route. She was taken and is probably on her way to Hiashi as we speak."

****Deidara is suddenly on his feet and shrugging on his trademark leather jacket. He starts pacing around the small studio, picking up things and shoving them into his pockets. "Where?"

****Sasori leans back, heavy lidded eyes still watching his frantic friend-now officially a traitor, he thinks. "One of his warehouses. The one on the corner of 23rd in Minamo."

****Deidara nods and opens one of the cabinets, he brings out two guns and loads them before shoving them into his jacket and waistband of his pants.

******"**You going alone?"

******"**Don't see who else I'd go with, yeah."

******"**Hn." Sasori continues to observe Deidara's quick sharp movements, gathering things and moving things around. "Try giving your cousin a call. She's Hyuga's best friend, right?"

******"**Mm. Maybe. Don't want to get her associated with me."

******"**You've already associated yourself with the Hyuga. You might as well get some help." Sasori shrugs again. "It's your call. You're already basically a traitor."

****Deidara snorts to himself and grabs his keys, "We'll see what happens." He jogs to the door, eyes stormy, a frown etched tight across his face, "Thanks a lot man."

****Sasori raises his hand in acknowledgment and watches his best friend disappear from sight to save some girl he's come to care about.

****The red head man leans back against the swivel chair, thinking about all the drama one girl has caused. He can only hope she's worth it, the fire in Deidara's eyes says he cares more than he should.

****Sasori shakes his head, wondering what he's just gotten his friend into by only telling him what he's heard.

****He exits Deidara's studio in time to see Deidara's car fly by quickly. Things just got interesting.

**A/N: This chapter was so rushed, and the editing was even more. I hope it's not too bad, but I barely had any time to get an update in. Anyway, I hoped you liked this chapter. I'm more excited for the next one...c:**

**Review and stuff! Thanks for all of the reviews, faves, and follows by the way. I appreciate you all so much!**


	26. twenty-five

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 25**

"Hinata."

The voice is close to her. It's quiet but shaky, filled with fear and worry.

"_Hinata._"

There it is again, this time more annoyed. Hinata squeezes her eyes shut tighter, trying to play dead and assess the situation without using her most values sense. She can feel that she's sitting on a wooden chair, with her hands tied behind her back. Ropes tie around her middle and chest, pressing her back into the wood.

She can't hear much. There isn't much to listen to. She can only hear water dripping somewhere to her left and the footsteps of someone to her right.

She smells wood and metal and just a bit of smoke. The smell of the whole place is loud though, assaulting her senses.

Her head hurts terribly. Like someone had shattered a bottle right on the spot where her stitches had been, her face feels blown up-probably swollen and bruised. The rest of her body doesn't seem to be in any better condition.

"Hinata! Look at me!" The frantic whispering continues.

Hinata's eyes spring open only to see darkness, her heart pounds in her chest, like the slow drums played before battle. After a few seconds, her eyes adjust to see a shape of a small person.

"It's me." And suddenly there are hands touching her, cold fingers wiping a cloth across her

face. Her breath catches in her throat and suddenly she can't breathe. The hands are off her as soon as they appeared. "Relax. Sorry. It's me, Hanabi."

"What-what a-are," Hinata's mouth flops uselessly like a fish out of water, she can't even form words, she's so scared.

"Otousan-Hiashi. I think he's going to kill you." Her words are rushed like she doesn't have enough time to explain. "I could try to get you out but-"

"No." Hinata mumbles, even though it hurts to talk-even though it hurts to do _anything._ "I d-don't want to bring you into this. He'll-he'll kill you too if you help."

"I can't just stand here and watch him kill you!" Hanabi's hands shake and they cup her throat the way their mom always does when she's scared or worried. Her words are wet like she's talking underwater-Hinata can't see her face but she's sure she's crying. Hanabi never cries. "Y-you're the only person who knows _me._ I-I can't let him—I _told_ you to be careful!" Her voice rises and lowers periodically like she wants to yell but she remembers that she shouldn't.

Hinata wants to hold her. But she can't. She's strapped to a chair in some room with her father wanting her blood on his hands and her sister crumbling to pieces in front of her. Through her fear, she can only think about how _selfish _ she is. How she left her sister here to fend for herself in this big world of terrible things. She should've taken Hanabi with her, or maybe better, stayed with her. It doesn't matter which, but Hanabi should've been _with _her.

And now Hanabi's going to watch her sister be killed because she _betrayed_ them-betrayed their father at least. Hinata doesn't want to put her through that.

"I w-want you to leave." Hinata's voice comes out horse and her cheeks are suddenly wet. "Or pretend that you're on Otousan's side. But don't...don't side with me."

"I can hardly be in the same room with that man." Hanabi spits. "I'm going to let you lose from the ropes."

"No." Hinata says stronger now, so strong that Hanabi's fingers leave the ropes encasing her sister. "I don't want to put you in danger." Hinata gulps again, trying to keep from wavering, trying to keep from letting fear seep into her voice. She has to be strong so that Hanabi will listen to her. "I-If Otousan thinks you're with me-he'll kill you too. I am dead in his eyes. I am a traitor."

"I don't car-"

"You need to care." Hinata swallows again, "If I die, don't side with me. Okay Hanabi? Don't protect me."

"Hinata-"

"I want to be a good sister. I can't bring you into this." Hinata tries to smile, "Act like you hate me."

"You're not going to die."

"Okay." Hinata doesn't deny it-for Hanabi's sake. "And you're not going to help me."

"I can't watch you die."

"Leave the room."

"Hinata-" A phone rings and Hinata's eyes dart to the light in Hanabi's hands. She hears Hanabi swallow. "It's Hiashi. I'm going to go." Steps fade and a door shuts and Hinata is left in darkness.

Hinata exhales, and suddenly, her lungs aren't working anymore. She can't breathe-she can't move. The walls are closing in on her. Her voice is coming out in quick gasps like she's underwater and she's trying to get above to get air. Her eyes seem to produce an ocean of tears that will drown her. She's sure she will die here. She's sure her father will kill her.

The lights flicker on and Hinata's hysterics stop all at once. A gasp ends her tears but her eyes shut against the harsh light. She quickly opens them to assess her surroundings-at least the part that she can see.

"-I told you I saw her leaving with the Uchiha." Hanabi is saying. Hinata feels her heart flutter and she almost smiles...she's happy her sister is doing what she told her to. It insures her safety.

Her head is jerked upwards and her eyes widen to look into those of her father's. They hold deep anger and hate, so strong that Hinata's eyes water. Hiashi's hands tighten around her chin and for a moment Hinata wonders if he'll break her neck, but he releases her, patting her cheek in a way that is more accurately a slap.

"Remember when you were young Hinata? And I told you the story of the boy who stole his father's crown?"

Hinata opens her mouth but no sound comes out. Hiashi pats her cheek again.

"I can't hear you. You must speak louder, my dear."

"I-Yes. Vaguely." Hinata mumbles, she rolls her wrists behind her, grimacing as the rope burns her skin.

"The boy wanted to impress the princess across the sea-a princess whose father was the king of a nation that hated his own." Hiashi circles her, "Can you guess what happened?"

"I-"

"The boy frequently visited the princess without his father's approval. Eventually he wished to marry her. So he stole his father's most prized possession-his crown of jewel's and presented it to the princess's father."

"But the king was furious. He would not allow this boy his daughter's hand. How could he let his daughter marry a man who would steal from his own father? What kind of son-in-law would that be? Do you remember what happened to the boy?"

Hinata chokes on her words, "He was b-beheaded."

"His head was given back to his father on a stick… with the stolen crown on top of his head," Hanabi mutters.

"A terrible story to tell a child." Hinata manages to spit.

A hand slams against her cheek and Hinata's vision doubles. She hears a little gasp that could either be hers or Hanabi's. She can't tell right now.

"And you learned nothing from it!" Hiashi spits, faces growing ugly and evil and terrible, "You and your uncle." Hiashi pauses to look at Hinata, "Does this story remind you of something?"

"No," Hinata says quieter this time. Her head hangs low and she bites her lip, her heart beats painfully against her ribs.

"Well you see, this is the story of my brother."

"Hizashi?" Apparently this is news to Hanabi too.

Apparently this is story time. Hinata watches with disgust as her father cleans and loads a gun, talking slowly like he hasn't a care in the world. Like he's not about to murder his oldest daughter. "You see, Neji's mother worked for Tsunade but Hizashi worked for me."

Hinata lets out a little gasp, tears in her eyes gathering for Neji-whose mother and father were probably killed because of the man standing in front of her-her own father.

"I didn't know that this woman worked for a rival gang. I didn't even know that my brother-my own twin had started to work for them because of a woman. _A woman._ I was so angry-but I didn't tell my brother that I knew." Hiashi clicks the gun in place, "You see Hinata, another gang wanted me dead...as usual. But the terms were different, if they killed me...they'd leave the city forever and Hyuga corps would get their land and other royalties in return. And that was-"

"An offer you couldn't refuse," Hanabi mutters to herself, her eyes search Hinata's and her stance is awkward, she's trying to buy time. "But how are you-"

"Alive? Well a good businessman negotiates. I told Hizashi to trade places with me, and if he did...I'd let his wife and son live."

Hinata chokes on air, her sobs loud now. Her heart feels like it weighs a hundred pounds, she cries for her cousin and late uncle and aunt she's never known.

"But I lied. After he died, I killed his Neji's mother too. She was the cause of this! She _took _ my brother away from me!" Hiashi's breath comes out hard and labored he walks over to Hinata and presses the gun against her head, holding her face. An ocean of tears falls from her eyes and she's rocking back and forth as much as the ropes with allow. Her heart is in her stomach and her lungs have stopped working again. "You see, my dear, the moral of the story is that everyone is disposable, even you. Especially you. A traitor's death is the most un-honorable way to die."

A gunshot rings through the air and Hinata thinks she's done for. But she realizes that that doesn't make any sense because she's still alive. She opens her eyes to see Hanabi standing, gun raised, whimpering _I'm Sorry_, to Hinata over and over again. Hiashi is on the ground, a hole in his arm, his face is red with fury

.  
"Both of you?" He quickly presses a few buttons on a phone and a group of men rush into the room at once.

"Hanabi why would you-" Hinata struggles with the ropes her mouth goes slack as a car flies through the a wall, taking pieces of the ceiling with it. There's no license plate and the windows are broken but two figures in hoods step out, looking slightly surprised that the actions already started.

"What the fuck-"Hanabi doesn't even know who to shoot anymore, but she's in action two seconds later, shooting at her father's men.

One of the hooded figures rush to Hinata's side, and cuts the ropes. She blinks at them and only sees a pair of blue eyes staring back. She moves her arms from the ropes-suddenly out of energy and stands, wobbly on her feet. A gun is pressed into her hands but an arm comes to encircle her waist, making sure that she can stand up straight without falling over.

The other hooded figure is engaged in combat, knocking heads with two of Hiashi's men. Hiashi is nowhere to be seen and half of his men of out on the floor.

Hinata hobbles towards the car, the person gives up on her walking on her own and picks her up, tossing the gun. "Get Hanabi!" She forces through her lips, it's almost too much energy to use her own vocal cords, "Get my sister!"

-:- -:- -:-

Deidara makes a face as he unties Hinata, her face bruised and bloody.

She looks up at him as he finishes, a flash of recognition in her blurry eyes. She's making this weird sound-like she's trying to get all the air she can before she drowns. She looks absolutely horrified.

Deidara frowns and helps her stand up, putting a gun in her hands-he know she knows how to use one. It becomes obvious after a while that the girl simply cannot stand on her own so he ditches the gun and lifts her off her feet. He rushes to the car that Ino has so carelessly rammed into the building. The blonde jostles her in her arms, surprised to see that her eyes are wide and alert. "Get Hanabi." Her lips move but the bomber can hardly hear a sound, "Get my sister!" She says again.

Deidara looks back at the mini-version of Hinata and frowns. He wasn't planning on bringing on extras...but something tells me Hinata would kill him if the girl was left behind.

"Let's get out of here, un! You too...mini-Hinata" Deidara yells back to Ino and the younger girl who resembles a war machine, or one of those mafia people-which he assumes she kind of is.

Deidara places Hinata in the backseat, she's fallen asleep in his arms, looking more delicate than he's ever seen her. He slips into the backseat with her, but the mini-Hinata makes this weird hissing noise at him so he surrenders the seat to the other Hyuga.

Ino gets them the hell out of there right as Deidara's slipping into the passenger seat. He looks in the backseat to see the mini-Hinata holding Hinata's head in her lap, tears falling.

"Hey, what's your name mini-Hinata, un?"

Ino sends him a chastising look, "Its Hanabi. And stop going goo-goo over Hinata and keep watch. Anyone could be following us."

"You're pretty badass, Hanabi, un. How old are you anyway, like, twelve?"

"Fifteen, asshole." Was the only response given. Hanabi's eyes narrow at the blonde in the passenger seat, watching his eyes pass over her sister's face. She watches all the amusement leave his eyes and be replaced with distinct worry. Hanabi glares at him, her hands tracing the lines of Hinata's face.

Ino sighs, "Leave her alone." She mutters, "I have to call Sasuke to tell him to meet us. He might even think _I'm _ the snitch because I'm with you, cousin." She lets out an even heavier sigh, her eyes turn to Deidara, "Do you know who it is anyway?"

Deidara knew that _that_ question was coming. He cuts his eyes from Hinata to the road, "No. Nobody knows except for that person, Pein, and Itachi." His fingers twitch at his waist before coming to his hair, "And I'll probably be gone before the asshole even shows up."

Hanabi speaks up, "You're not in the same gang?"

"No," Ino replies shortly, she looks in the rearview mirror to look at the younger Hyuga. "We're rivals."

"How does that work?"

"We never really liked each other, un. We hardly talk unless she wants something. But we'll try not to kill each other if it comes down to that, you know what I mean?"

"Not really," Hanabi mutters, her eyes turning back to her sister, who's stirring again. "But sorta."

Ino pulls into the rendezvous places, an empty train graveyard, and gets out the ruined car. "I need to call Shika and let him know I'm okay. You guys hang tight. Deidara...you should get out of here."

He steps out the car and puts on his leather jacket, he walks over to an open freight train car and sits on the ledge. "My ride's right over there." He jerks his head across the open car and behind the train, towards the sleek black vehicle.

Ino rolls his eyes, "You're going to wait for Hinata to wake up," She guesses. "This can't end well," She walks away, her ear to the phone.

Deidara stares at the ruined little grey car, watching for movement. He sees Hinata sit up, moving slowly, and talk to her sister-a little fighter. He sees her turn and stare at him before getting out of the car.

A smirk comes across his features as she makes her way towards him, she looks like a train wreck, but he doesn't care. She tries to smile but it fails miserably, her eyes have this dim light to them though, it gives him a little bit of hope.

She finally comes to stand in front of him, arms swinging awkwardly at her sides. She looks up into the 3:30 am sky and then back at him, a slow smile spreading across her face. "Thanks for...saving me."

Deidara smiles back, "What do I get in return, un?"

Hinata goes pink and is suddenly very flustered, "Uh.." She blinks as Deidara jumps off the train and wraps long arms around her. It's a quick hug, but for a moment she feels safe with her head against his chest. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks to you," Hinata mumbles back, into his chest.

"True, yeah." The smirk is back, and suddenly Deidara's face is close to hers. Her eyes widen a millisecond as Deidara cups her face and presses his lips against hers. Her eyes flutter close a second too late, and it's already over.

Hinata's heart thuds in her chest, like it's suddenly grown wings, and wishes to fly. Pink blush makes its way across her face and in the pit of her stomach, she yearns for more.

Deidara's eyes flicker to the left and the smirk is back, he pulls her arm and the rest of her moves towards him. His arms encircle her waist and he presses his lips against hers again. This time she kisses back, eyes closing. Her lips are soft against his and he smiles, lips moving together in sync.

And then it's over as quick as it started.

"What the fuck is going on?" An angry voice shouts from across the field.

Headlights hit their entangled forms and Deidara looks towards the leering figure that's stepped out the car. Hinata pushes him away from her, her cheeks pink, and her eyes slowly filling with regret and distinct confusion.

Deidara glances at her from the corner of his eye, hurt filling his thoughts like slow poison. "Yo Uchiha. I just saved your girlfriend's ass. Again."

**A/N. hey ya'll. Wasn't that just a dandy chapter?**

**In case you don't remember Deidara saved her before she joined The Leaf in a previous chapter.**

**Review! This chapter took all day to write for some reason...and I've been avoiding my homework for it.**


	27. twenty-six

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 26**

It's only three a.m. and Sasuke's day is already ruined.

Then again, nothing seems to be going right as of late for the tired Uchiha. First he has to deal with all of The Leaf's bull, then he comes home and has to deal with Hinata's bull, then she gets _kidnapped_, and he ends up having to deal with the cops' bull. After hours of tracking the Hyuga down, he gets a call from _Ino _ saying that she's already been rescued! So, here he is, standing in a pile of bullshit watching some blonde _creep_ make out with this girl he may or may not have feelings for.

So exasperated with the whole situation, Sasuke angrily gets out his car, and shouts, "What the fuck is going on?" Because, genuinely, the poor guy is so goddamn confused. And even more so when jealousy flares through his system like his whole body has suddenly caught fire and he's burning with hate-or something like that.

To be completely honest, the Uchiha is practically dead on his feet. He's been up since, like, six am, _yesterday. _He can barely comprehend the whole situation-let alone his feelings on it. He reaches into his glove compartment and gulps down a 5-hr-energy before making his way towards Deidara, masking his expression, and hoping he doesn't look like a retarded zombie.

Despite Sasuke's confusion, relief floods his mind as he sets his eyes on the blushing Hyuga. He's glad she's not dead or whatever-even if he couldn't be the one to save her. She doesn't look too good though, in fact, she looks about two seconds away from a mental breakdown, and Sasuke can't really blame her for that.

The gang leader is knocked out of his thoughts by the most annoying statement he thinks he's ever heard in his whole life. "Yo Uchiha. I just saved your girlfriend's ass. Again."

"Fuck off." He responds easily, but he can't help but clench his fists and glare at the guy, who's standing much too close to Hinata. (also _not_ his girlfriend. And what's with this 'again' part?) "Saving her is no big deal. Anyone could've done it."

The blonde's eyes narrow, blue swimming with arrogance and amusement, "So why didn't you, un?" He lifts his chin, exposing his neck arrogantly-obviously trying to tell Sasuke that he's not afraid of him. "If it was so easy."

Sasuke just wants to push the butt of his gun into his adam's apple and show this asshole his place. Instead, he shoves his hands into his pocket and spits. "What do you think you're doing with Hinata?"

"Saving her, obviously." Sasuke can see the pyromaniac glance at her from the corner of his eye, but Sasuke can't be bothered to see if she's taking the conversation well or not. He's standing in front of the enemy.

"Doing a lot more than you are, yeah." The blonde's smirk is back and he lifts his eyebrows up in down at the innuendo. He cocks his head to the side and grins, "I thought this was going to be a competition for a minute, but it appears that you've only been running in circles around her-not actually, you know, being _with _her."

Sasuke can only feel anger build in him. A _competition_? What is that supposed to mean? For _Hinata?_ That thought is so weird that...it almost makes sense. He doesn't really have time to think about it when Deidara's suddenly moving.

Sasuke grits his teeth together as Hinata is suddenly falling backwards, and wow, just his luck, the blonde is easily gathering her in his arms like he expected her to faint in that position the whole time.

The sadistic asshole probably did.

Deidara picks her up bridal style and deposits the unconscious Hyuga into Sasuke's arms. He glares at him like a protective father would and says, "Get her to a hospital or something, un."

"Get the fuck out my face." Sasuke spits at him, venom lacing his words. But they're only a barely a whisper as he's gathering the girl in his arms, and trying not to look down and get...distracted by her face. He feels anger course through his veins, he doesn't need some _Akatsuki_ to tell him what to do! Especially not with Hinata.

"A simple 'Thank you' would be nice, un," The blonde replies, he turns and goes back towards the train, jumps over the ledge and is on his way to the other side where his car is parked. He turns around a second later, another smirk playing on his face, "And if you kiss her, remember that my lips got there first, okay buddy?"

Sasuke's so pissed he almost drops Hinata-which is kinda sad, considering the situation.

Next time Sasuke sees him, he's dead.

-:- -:- -:-

Sasuke glances awkwardly at the girl next to him in the passenger seat, "So...how old are you now?"

"Fifteen." Hanabi responds, in the Hyuga way; short and cold. If the Uchiha wasn't an Uchiha...he'd probably be intimidated.

Sasuke grimaces and glances in the back seat at the unconscious Hinata and worried Ino, wishing the blonde would switch places with the growling Hyuga. When he was young, Hanabi had just been a toddler, he hadn't been around the young girl too much and could only remember that she liked to run around and steal his toys and ruin them with toddler-slobber and teeth-marks.

He knows that Hinata and Hanabi's relationship had always been strained...but now it looks like they get along well. Maybe it's because they both hate their father….mutual hate can really bring people together.

Sasuke decides to stop being nice and just ask her what he really wants to know, "Got any info on Hiashi's business?"

Hanabi glances at him out of the corner of her eye, her expression screams 'annoyed'-Sasuke doesn't think anyone has ever regarded him with _that_ expression on their face before. People just don't get annoyed with him-he almost finds it refreshing. Hanabi responds shortly, rolling her eyes back towards the window, "Tons."

"Care to share?" Sasuke almost bites his tongue off, trying to sound nice.

"No." Hanabi closes her eyes, "I'm not even in your shitty gang."

"Want to join?" By this point, Sasuke will do anything for information. Even let little girls join.

"Pft. No." She does that little rich girl thing where she flips her hair and sneers.

Sasuke's fingers twitch on the wheel from annoyance, "I can just make you."

"You won't do anything to me."

"Huh." The Uchiha says as if that is news to him, which it is. He just peers at her, "And why is that?"

"Because of my sister," Hanabi responds simply. "You won't do anything to me or she'll be terrible to you, and you don't want that. You're one of her _hoes._"

Sasuke blinks.

He almost asks her to run that by him again, but he realizes that he can't even bring himself to care anymore.

-:- -:- -:-

"She's awake now," Sakura exits her own until and turns emerald eyes on the guilty looking Uchiha. She doesn't exactly know what he has to be guilty about, but she pats him on the shoulder anyway. "Er...it wasn't your fault Sasuke?"

"I know it wasn't." He snaps in that way where you know he's snapping at you, but he's not yelling or in your face about it either. He stares at the girl as she _doesn't_ move her hand off him.

"I think you should let Neji speak with her first," Sakura continues, her hands guiding him away from the door and towards his own unit. "He's been worrying since he regained consciousness. At least you _know_ she's alright."

Sasuke cuts his eyes to the pinkette again, the girl he thinks he's known for _too_ long, she guides him further away from the door and loops his arm through hers.

"You know I've missed you, Sasuke-"

He grunts but keeps his face passive, his dark eyes glance over the pinkett who's walking slowly beside him, her eyes looking dull in comparison to how brightly they'd shone months before. He grimaces in his head but lets the girl drag him around the HQ. She probably needs to vent or something.

Besides, Neji is hogging Hinata at the moment, and that Hanabi girl is never too far away. Which reminds him.-that girl, who's not even a member, has seen the HQ. For all he knows she could be a spy!

"-And I've been so worried. The business with the snitch and all," Sakura continues, her fingers pressing in his arm a little. She takes a deep breath, and suddenly her fingers are off him. "Sorry, I'm complaining. You probably don't want to listen to my problems anyway."

Sasuke looks at her out of the corner of his eye, he hasn't said much since she opened her mouth but he nods for her to continue. Sakura is his friend, although annoying as hell, she's been with him through a lot. She and Naruto have been with him through thick and thin, the least he can do is let her vent to him.

So she continues, and he sort of listens.

-:- -:- -:-

"Y-you look terrible," Hinata mutters to Neji. She only says it to break the awkward silence. Neji and Hanabi have taken to staring at each other from opposite sides of the room like they can't think of anything to say to each other.

A simple 'Hi,' would probably do fine.

And Neji does look...pretty terrible... at least for a guy who pays more attention to his hair than most guys would. First of all his hair looks greasy and it's piled atop his head and a halfhearted bun, his arm his in a sling, and there are bandages wrapped around his head. Despite all this, Neji snorts and cracks a smile, "You don't look too great either, Hinata."

Hinata smiles a little despite the truth in his statement. She shouldn't have even _talked_ about Neji's hair as hers looks like it hasn't been combed through in years. Her face and arms are probably changing colors from the bruises, and there are purple bags under her eyes. "When did you get out of the hospital?"

"-Couple of hours ago. Tenten and I had to convince them to let me go, I think they wanted me there longer."

Hinata moves to a sitting position, concern claiming her features, "Are you sure you should've lef-"

"Aren't you dead? I mean-you died." Hanabi cuts Hinata off looking wildly about the two before she decides to focus on just Hinata, "Right?"

"Oh yeah." Hinata mumbles, "I forgot about that..."

"You forgot that he isn't living?!"

Hinata winces, her previous headache returning...She already has to tell Neji the news about her father and his...now she has to explain the whole Neji-never-died situation to Hanabi-who looks like she doesn't want to listen to _anything_ at the moment.

Noticing Hinata's pained expression, Neji gives her shoulder a squeeze before walking towards the exit, nodding for his younger cousin to follow.

"If you think I'm going to just follow a _'dead man_-'"

"Hanabi, just go." Hinata pushes the shorter girl out of the room, "He'll explain everything to you. And after everything that happened today, the story is a lot easier to believe than when I heard it, okay?"

Hanabi sighs, a grimace growing quickly on her face, she rubs her palms on expensive jeans before following Neji out of the room. She'll have a lot more to deal with now that she's with Hinata, and she wonders if Hanabi will regret her decision to stay with her. Hinata hopes not.

Hinata returns to the bed and plops down face down. She squeezes her eyes shut and attempts to grasp the situation in its entirety. First, her dad tried to kill her because he's apparently crazy and has trust and separation issues-he was also responsible for the deaths of her late aunt and uncle. Second, Hanabi has joined her side...though not officially, and now Hinata has to deal with adjusting her spoiled rich sister to a more...lacking environment. Oh, and then, Deidara comes out of nowhere and saves her from her dad even though he's on his side-and next thing she knows, they're kissing! The worst part is that Hinata doesn't even feel _bad_ about it! She almost feels...giddy. She'd actually been enjoying it and then Sasuke showed up (suddenly making her feel conflicted?) and started yelling at Deidara who suddenly said that they're _competing_ for her-and by that point Hinata was out cold.

Hinata groans into the bed, trying to sort the mess in her head out. She's actually surprised she hasn't started crying, but she can feel that terrible pressure behind her eyes start to build so she wills those thoughts away and groans again. She can save those thoughts for another day.

"Quit groaning."

Sasuke voice comes, and Hinata almost falls of the bed from surprise. She grabs the edge though and shoves her face back into the covers. Just what she needs, Sasuke. She groans again without thinking about it.

"Wow. Does my existence bother you that much?" Hinata can tell he's being sarcastic but she can still catches the tiniest bit of bitterness in the Uchiha's tone.

The ex-heiress only shakes her head against the mattress, her face flaming red. Her heart starts doing weird stuff again-like fluttering in her chest. She's surprised it can do that twice in one day without her dying or something. Actually, she thinks she'd rather die.

"What are you doing?" Now there's amusement creeping into his otherwise cold tone. "Look at me."

"I'm trying to disappear." Hinata mumbles into the blankets, "S-so I'll stop putting people in danger..."

"We are _not_ having this discussion again." Hinata can practically _feel_ the boy rolling his eyes. "God, you really are full of it." Sasuke snorts, "And people say _I'm_ narcissistic."

"Y-you are narcissistic..."

"Whatever. You're still not looking at me."

Hinata's face flames up again, "W-why?" She pushes herself off the bed anyway, Sasuke usually gets what he wants one way or another, he's really annoying that way. Hinata sits cross-legged and brushes her hair away and presses her fingers to her sore jaw line. She makes a hissing noise and barely hears Sasuke swearing in the background.

"Jesus." Sasuke swears again, letting a flicker of anger flash across his face before his usual cool expression returns-his eyes remain stormy and his jaw tense, though. Hinata jumps when Sasuke is on his feet and in front of her. "What did that bastard do to your face?"

"Neji said it wasn't that bad." Sasuke makes a sound of protest and grips her face-at first too hard and she lets out a gasp, but he actually looks sorry for it even though he doesn't say anything. He grabs her face again, this time softer and turns it from side-to-side. Hinata turns red and doesn't quite know how to respond. She hasn't actually _seen_ her face yet, but she assumes she doesn't look pretty. Sasuke's fingers trace the forming bruise around her eye. His cold fingers feel like electricity on her warmed face, sending sparks through her body and making her alert. Hinata watches him, her stomach tight and her body tense like she's waiting to breathe. His eyes glance down at her lips. She watches his eyes, wondering what he'll do, when a simply _annoyed _look washes across his features.

_What was that about?_ Hinata almost feels rejected, but she remembers that she's already kissed one boy already today. She doesn't need two. She doesn't need anyone at all!

Sasuke grunts against the sudden awkwardness and sits back down, "So...er, did Sakura give you some ice for that?"

"Yeah." Hinata's blush fades. "It, um, melted a while ago."

"Want me to get you some more?"

"I-I...think I'm fine..."

Awkward Silence. Hinata shifts uncomfortably, "S-so..."

"Look, Hinata." Sasuke begins, cutting off her feeble attempt at conversation. Hinata looks up, startled by the seriousness of Sasuke's tone. He looks like he's thinking about something pretty hard though, so Hinata waits patiently for him to speak.

"I feel...bad. I-" Sasuke usually doesn't struggle with his words. Hinata's curiosity raises. "Look, I usually don't apologize for shit, okay? But I'm sorry I was so late getting you. I mean, I'm sorry I couldn't save you-that someone else beat me." Sasuke stands swiftly just as Hinata's in the middle of processing his words. He grabs her face, gently this time, and presses his lips against her forehead-it was so quick that Hinata barely knew it happened. "What I mean is, I could've done it _better_."

Hinata blinks and he's gone. She blinks again, and again, and again, but nothing seems to be making any sense to her any more. She robotically climbs back onto the bed and pulls the cover over her head, letting her fingertips touch the spot where Sasuke's lips had been, and then the spot where Deidara's had.

Her form shakes under the sheets. This time she does cry, but she's not quite sure why.

**A/N: ****(ʘ****‿****ʘ****) (ʘ****‿****ʘ)****ノ✿**

**The flower represents my sanity, thats me throwing away my sanity because of this chapter.**

**You're welcome.**

**Haha, in all honesty though, this was a pretty easy chapter to write, it just took me a couple of days to really sit down and get it done. I can't promise when the next update will be though! I have some plot revisions to do (I'm literally always changing the plot of this goddamn fic, I don't even have a solid ending yet, bare with me!) In other news, this fic will probably be coming to a close sooner or later-depending on what I do with the plot, so as of right now, the amount of chapters left is sort of up in the air.**

**On a completely unrelated note, I was thinking about posting this fic on AO3 but I still haven't even figured out how that site works and it seems like a lot of work so I probably won't.**

**REVIEW FOR ALL THE SASUHINADEI IN THIS CHAPTER-EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE TO REVIEW DO IT FOR ME AND MY SANITY.**

**(ʘ****‿****ʘ)****ノ✿**

**BETA SAYS REVIEW! REVIEW OR TALIA WILL HAVE NO SANITY LEFT AND SHE WILL COME BITCHING TO ME ABOUT IT. SO REVIEW K? THANKSSS -AnnaliseIsmeneRomano**


	28. twenty-seven

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 27**

"That's the best I can do," Ino tries to smile through her concern as she cakes foundation and concealer in heaps over other makeup on Hinata's face. She still can't believe that Hinata's _own father _ would do that to her. "You can't really see the bruises as much now."

"Good," Hinata tries not to touch her face as she turns towards the mirror, "Sasuke was right; my face really did look terrible."

"He told you that?" Ino shakes her head as her hands flutter to stop Hinata's from smudging her makeup. The blonde shakes her head, "That's pretty rude of him..."

Hinata shrugs, "It's true. Thanks for doing this for me, Ino. I don't want my mom to see me like this."

"I understand," Ino's eyes are still sad as they look over her friend. She drapes a thin arm around the other girl's shoulder and pulls her tight against Ino's chest, "I just wish you didn't have to go through-"

"Hey, I'm over it now, okay?" Hinata cuts her off, a smile making its way across her face easily. Ino stares at her before dropping the subject; it's obvious that Hinata doesn't want to talk about it.

"How are you going to hide the bruises from your mom the rest of the week?" Ino questions, changing the subject, because apparently, Hinata doesn't want to hear about how happy Ino is that she's alive.

"Don't know." Hinata squeezes Ino back, hard. "I can usually avoid her. Especially since Hanabi is around now-which reminds me..."

"You have to get Hanabi adjusted?" Ino completes Hinata's thought. They girls leave the unit arm and arm and walk down the rain speckled road. No one except Hinata, Hanabi, Ino, and Neji are at the HQ at this hour. It's about seven a.m. on a Wednesday. Most of the members are just waking up and getting ready for school. Hinata doesn't even want to think about _that._ She actually enjoys school, but now she just wants to push it aside, especially with all the work she's probably missed.

Still, she wants that piece of 'normality' back in her life, even if WKP isn't as 'normal' as she'd like it to be. If and when she returns she'll still have that 'warrior' title tacked on to her name, and she won't be able to get down the hallway without getting pursued by curious teenagers and 'rival gangs' who swear they're going to defeat The Leaf.

"Breakfast?" Ino questions, pulling Hinata into another unit and out of the light drizzle. The sky is so gray it makes Hinata want to curl into herself with a nice book. But she can't. She still has too much to do, and she still has to tell Neji about his father. The thought of telling him makes her chest feel heavy, but she knows it's something she has to do. Neji deserves to know. "You've gotten pretty thin over the past few weeks. No offense but it's not a good look on you."

Hinata rolls her eyes, way passed used to Ino admiring Hinata's curviness in comparison to her own thinness. Ino's always talking about how the two of them probably have the best body types you can have...or something like that. She searches the fridge-placed sloppily in the center of the room-and pulls out a box of frozen waffles. They don't have a stove or oven here, but they do have a microwave, toaster, and portable mini grill. Hinata plops four waffles into the toaster and turns to Ino, "What if Hanabi wants to go back?"

"Pft. I doubt it. With everything that happened? She's not crazy." Ino busies herself trying to find butter, "She'll just have to become un-spoiled and un-pampered. Like you did."

"I was never spoiled…" Hinata mutters under her breath.

"Pampered you were!" Ino choruses. "But let's not talk about your sister."

"Why? I mean she's going to have to talk to my mom who she hasn't seen since she was like, _four._"

Ino blinks at her, "That long? Eleven years?"

Hinata nods her fingers coming together in that annoying little way they do when she's nervous. Except now she's not nervous. Just sad. Hinata collapses in the seat across from Ino and plays with the hem of her hoodie. She can hear the rain hit concrete and the roof just outside and it manages to soothe her, just a little.

Ino pushes the four hard waffles in front of her friend, "Did she leave or was she kicked out?"

"A combination of both, I think." Hinata takes a bite of the waffle without butter or syrup, letting it go down dry and plain. "I-I don't really want to talk about it..."

"Okaaaaay." Ino steals the other waffle, her eyebrows suddenly wiggling up and down, "Wanna talk about my cousin?"

Hinata goes red all over, her whole face burns just at the thought of him. It only makes sense that a terrorist can set her on fire so easily. "N-N-_No. _I _don't_ want to talk about him!"

"You're cute together!" Ino squeals in her seat, squirming a little, and flailing. "I hate my cousin, but the way he grabbed you was just-" Hinata can't quite catch the rest of Ino's sentence because it sounds a lot like "ajghdjjkaka!"

"Yeah but-" Hinata goes red but Ino just keeps talking. Hinata watches her, wide eyed, and just shoves another plain waffle into her mouth.

"-But what about you and Sasuke? I mean he seemed really concerned about y-"

Hinata rolls her eyes and leans forward, knowing how to stop Ino's ranting. The only thing Ino likes to do more than gossip is to talk about herself. "What about you and Shikamaru?"

Hinata sighs from relief as Ino's rant ends abruptly. She sits up a bit straighter and flips her bang out of her face. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you love him right? Or...at least like him a lot." Hinata presses on, genuinely curious. Besides, if Ino knows all about her love life, Hinata thinks it's fair that she should know about the Inoichi girl's.

Ino blows her bang up out of her face again, "I don't know Hinata. I mean I like him, yeah, but I don't know where we stand."

"Why not?" Hinata blinks, "You just said you like him."

"I know where _I _stand." Ino says, huffing a little, "_He_ doesn't know. He's too lazy to figure it out, and he says he's not sure if I'm his type!"

Hinata blinks again, "So what _is_ his type?"

"That's the thing-he doesn't even know!"

The two girls stand and clean off their spots before diving out into the rain-much heavier than it has been earlier that day.

"I'm sure he'll come around," Hinata mutters to Ino, "If not then he's the dumbest smart person I know..."

"Who?" Hanabi appears out of one of the units with an exasperated Neji in tow. Hinata can understand his pain-Hanabi can ne work.

"Doesn't matter," Hinata mutters to her, "You have other things to worry about."

-:- -:- -:-

"It's...small." Hanabi says slowly as Neji pulls up to her new home. Their mother's house is a simple single story three bedroom home; it's honestly nothing to frown about. "But...charming?" Hanabi tries again, trying to be positive about the situation. The house had a cottage type feeling to it...with a purple awning and warm brown stones around it. She can imagine that it has flowers in the summer.

Hinata just smiles at her and gets out of the car after checking her make up. "Y-you'll be fine. I'm more worried about you going to school."

"Why? You think I'm scared of them?" Hanabi jumps out the car after her, in the same outfit that she had worn when shooting at her father; a pair of black skinny jeans, now ruined Sperrys, and a hoodie. Her Coach purse hangs loosely over her shoulder like it's the only thing connecting her to former life as a rich girl.

Neji snorts and Hinata just shakes her head, "No. I think you'll just fight half of them."

Neji remains in the background as Hinata and Hanabi trudge up the steps. Hanabi twists shiny brown hair around her finger and tentatively presses on the doorbell. She will see the woman who birthed her, the woman she hardly even knows.

After a couple seconds, Hanabi rings the doorbell again. An apprehensive look washes across her face before it's quickly replaced with boredom. "Oh well. Looks like she's not here, let's go."

Hinata shoves her sister out the way, her eyes dancing with amusement. She's never seen Hanabi this jittery. "Don't be silly, I have a key."

Hinata opens the door and gestures for Hanabi to enter first. The younger girl sends a helpless look to Neji before slowly entering the dark living room. Hinata waves him goodbye before stepping into the house after her sister.

"Why is it so dark?" Hanabi's nose wrinkles and she's stopped twisting her hair around nervously. "It stinks in here."

Hinata rolls her eyes again and flips on the light, "Better?"

Hanabi stares at the dusty couch and junky coffee table, the wood creaks under her feet as she moves further into the house, "Not really. When was the last time she dusted?"

"If you're that concern, y-you can dust for her." Hinata replies, throwing her keys on top of a pile of magazines and leading Hanabi through the house.

"I-" Hanabi pulls her arm out of Hinata's grasp, annoyed, "-don't think that's going to happen. Besides it's _her_ house. Shouldn't she keep it...presentable?"

"Don't be a brat," The indigo haired Hyuga mutters, "You're getting on my nerves."

"Well _you're _ getting on _ my _ nerves." The younger girl responds haughtily. "You know, I liked the 'new Hinata' at first but now you're just irritating. Go back to being quiet." She snaps. "Where's my room?"

Hinata rolls her eyes at Hanabi's outburst. It was expected, Hanabi's short period of placidity had finally ended and now Hinata is left to deal with the brat. She tells herself that she can't get angry though, Hanabi's going through a bigger change than Hinata ever had. Hanabi had so much going for her back with Hiashi, much much more than Hinata ever did. She's just dropped her friends, her school, even her designer clothes, for Hinata. The indigo haired girl tells herself that she must be patient with Hanabi-this is the hardest thing the girl's had to endure.

"It's around the corner the third one," Hinata tells her, "But look Hanabi, I know-"

"Save it." Hanabi says, a door slams before Hinata can even finish the rest of her sentence.

"O-okay but, if you need someone to talk to-"

"Hinata, you're not my friend. You're my sister." Hanabi responds through the door, her voice annoyed and a little sad, "And we were never on good terms before so don't act like everything's magically fixed between us."

Hinata exhales slowly, curling and uncurling her fingers, "...fine. But when Okaasan comes home, you'll have to speak to her on your own." Hinata sighs again, "I'm heading to the HQ later on today, around six. If you want to come, be ready."

With her speech finished, Hinata walks to her own room and collapsed on her bed. If Hanabi doesn't want her help then Hinata won't give it to her. Hinata had to find her own way, now its Hanabi's turn.

-:- -:- -:-

"How's your face?"

"The same." Hinata replies, her fingers coming to apply pressure under her eye unconsciously. She lets out a little whine of pain.

"Well don't touch it, stupid." The Uchiha moves her hand away, annoyed. He shakes his head at her as if she were a child.

"Don't call me stupid." Hinata frowns up at him and walks a few paces ahead of him, his longs legs catch up with her in about 2.5 seconds anyway.

"It's a term of endearment." Sasuke says in a monotone, his face straight but his eyes amused. His lips lift a little, "Stupid."

They walk the length of the row of units before turning and walking along another row near the gates. The rain from the morning has stopped, leaving puddles for the two to walk and splash through.

She rolls her eyes and bumps her shoulder into his arm, "How was school?"

"Boring." The Uchiha responds, "A waste of my time. I might stop going."

Hinata frowns, stopping in place. Sasuke continues walking but turns to stare with his eyebrows raised. "Don't do that. School is important. Besides, you're the best in class."

"That doesn't mean anything. If Shikamaru did the work, he'd be the best, but he's not and he could still get into a highly selective college if he wanted to." Sasuke shrugs, "School isn't important—and it's not like you've been there lately anyway."

"Yeah, it's not like I've had the opportunity as of late." Hinata snaps, stomping up to the taller man, "And I'm going tomorrow-I think. And I'm going because I want to learn."

"No one said I didn't want to learn, Hyuga." Sasuke tugs a piece of her hair, "I just have better things to do right now."

"Like kill people?"

"I didn't say anything about murder-"

"But that's what it all leads to, right?" Hinata fumes besides him and he looks down at her clenched fists and angry eyes. "These gangs-what's the point anymore? What's the point? We're not _helping_ anyone, we're hurting them. Sasuke, these gangs are going to _destroy_ each other one day."

"Jesus, you're a piece of work." Sasuke mumbles, he almost rolls his eyes at her but figures she'd only get angrier.

Hinata only bristles, her eyes narrowing, "I'm _serious-"_

"I know, I know." Sasuke runs a hand through his hair, annoyed. "I need a cigarette." Sasuke has to stop and wonder why he's even bothering with conversation with the girl to his left….Whenever he _does_ get her to talk, she talks his ears off about nothing.

"Look, I don't plan on anything big like all-out war happening, alright?" Sasuke mutters, "I just want to make sure that we're safe and aren't being threatened."

"Well," Hinata crosses her arms, sticking her nose in the air in a very Hanabi-like way and says, "Since that's _all _you're trying to do, you have no reason to skip school."

"Hn." That's all Sasuke has to say to her, it's not like he'll listen to her in the long run anyway-and they both know that. "Besides, apparently your boyfriend has already dropped out."

Hinata blinks at him, "My boyfriend...?" And then it dawns on her that Sasuke is talking about Deidara. They both really need to stop referring to each other as her 'boyfriend' because its only manages to confuse her and give her heart problems. Not to mention the unbearable embarrassment doubled with guilt that comes along.

But mostly just embarrassment.

Hinata's blush subsides a little as she thinks about what Sasuke's just said to her. It makes no sense that Deidara would drop out of school when he's only a few months away from graduating-and she's sure that school isn't _that_ much of a problem for him where he feels the need to leave. She knows that he wouldn't have dropped out willingly when he was so close to getting into that highly selective art school of his...

Hinata clears her head and tries to come up with a good response without sounding too concerned, "Well...y-you're not him. You can't do everything he can-"

"Like kiss you?"

"-and I..uh-what?" Hinata sputters, she turns red and fumbles with the ends of her scarf (thankfully not the Akatsuki one) and avoids his eyes. Her cheeks are splashed with red and she tries to process whatever Sasuke is trying to say.

Sasuke just steps closer to her, his eyes like shining onyx against the setting sun, his lips curved in the slightest smile that seems to be reserved for her these days. "I can't kiss you like he can?"

Hinata's heart starts doing summersaults in her chest and she presses her fingers together behind her back. Her mouth moves uselessly as she's trying to find the right thing to say but can't. She backs up and finds herself trapped against a unit and doesn't know if she should thank kami because now she won't fall over, or curse him because she's trapped. "I-"

"You? Use your words, Hinata." Sasuke teases, a smile in his eyes, he looms dangerously close to her body now.

Hinata's eyes flash at the teasing but her heart doesn't stop its incessant beating, "Y-you're just not him." She replies without really knowing what she means, a moment later she realizes that she's probably made the situation worse. She can't bring herself to care at the moment though as she watches him.

Sasuke blinks at the response, his eyebrows lift as if accepting the challenge Hinata's unknowingly just presented. Hinata watches his eyes gleam with arrogance and then watches his tongue dart out to wet his lips. And then suddenly, his fingers are under her chin and their lips inches away. Hinata feels his slight hesitation, as if he doesn't want to kiss her against her will, but it lasts only a millisecond. Knowing Sasuke, he doesn't care.

His lips envelope hers easily, and before she knows what she's doing, she's kissing back. Her arms move at her own accord, folding neatly around his neck and simultaneously bringing his head closer. The Uchiha responds as any Uchiha would...with more force. He presses her harder against the wall, his lips harder against hers, and his hands harder against her waist and face. He presses his fingers and his lips hard against her and Hinata responds the same way. After a couple seconds Hinata releases a squeak of pain as his hands accidentally bump a bruise and like magic everything about him becomes soft like an apology.

She's kissed Sasuke before, but never like this. His hands, one around her waist and one under her chin, are light as feathers and send electricity through her skin, but they're steady, holding her to him. His body pressing against hers seems to fit into her and simultaneously protect from harm's way, and his lips...his lips are soft and warm-inviting and comforting, moving in synch against hers. She smiles against his lips and runs her fingers along the nape of his neck, playing with dark hair and pulling his face closer.

Now all they're missing is the rain.

Hinata knows now that Sasuke best shows his feelings through actions rather than words. She can interpret what he means when he speaks, sure, but the true volume of his feelings lay with his actions. What he chooses to do and how he does it is how he shows what he's feeling—how his lips and hands and whole body went from hard to soft in a matter of seconds—is how he shows he cares.

Just as he's running is tongue a across the length of her lips, and she's opening her mouth to accept it, Naruto is yelling for Sasuke from across the HQ, shouting about an emergency and ruining everything.

Sasuke is off of her so quick she almost falls over. She doesn't mind though because her heart is no longer racing from the kiss but from panic. Hinata bounces off the wall quickly and falls into a jog besides the Uchiha, a steady rain begins to fall as they near Naruto by the garages.

"Yo Sasuke." Naruto sets his eyes on him and quickly tosses a gun, he speaks quickly, "You won't believe this man. Kiba and Shino are in huge trouble, there was another set up." He's speaking so fast Hinata has to strain her ears to hear what he's saying. "Except these guys aren't even in a real gang, they're just random thugs."

Hinata tries to make since of the situation, "So that means...?"

"There are probably more than ten of them against Kiba and Shino." Sasuke explains quietly, but his voice is deadly. "They would've taken their weapons and money and proceeded to jump them. It's highly possible that they can beat Kiba and Shino to death. It's weird because thugs don't mess with our guys as long as we don't mess with them, our goals are completely different." Sasuke tucks the gun in his jacket pocket, "They're not easily provoked, but they'll do anything for money."

"Someone's really trying to fuck with us with these set ups." Naruto mutters. "Anyway, we better hurry. Shino sounded terrible when he managed to slip away to call me. I can imagine thag Kiba is in worse condition."

Hinata's heart drops and she feels all shaky with dread, "Anything I can do?"

Naruto is about to respond when Sasuke beats him, he presses two fingers on her forehead like Itachi used to do to him and says, "Just stay here and think of all the reasons I'm not _him_."

Sasuke smirks at her as he gets in the car and Hinata stands, blushing and stuttering as they drive away.

Hinata doesn't understand how he can think about _that_ with everything that's going on. But then again...she can still taste him on her lips more than she can feel the worry bubbling in her core.

She presses two fingers to her lips and turns around to see Ino and Sakura standing against the door way, looking at her pink cheeks curiously.

"What was _that_ about?"

**An: Hello lovely readers, I'm back from that unexpected hiatus. Hopefully I'll be able to update on time from now on but you never know.**

**At first this chapter was really boring and Hinata and Sasuke weren't supposed to kiss and something else was supposed to be added but what I've learned from writing this is that…if it's taking you forever and you can't seem to write a certain part…just cut it out, it's probably not necessary to the plot. **

**This is very hastily edited and my beta is m.i.a so I apologize for any or several error—but I'm trying to get to bed but I really really wanted to update. One of the reasons for my hiatus is that I've been studying for the ACT, which I have tomorrow morning. **

**Wish me luck and review C:**


	29. twenty-eight

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 28**

"What was _that _about?"

Sasuke's smirk remains as he loads bullets into the gun, "Nothing."

Naruto frowns at him, his hands drumming the steering wheel, annoyed, "C'mon man that wasn't _nothing_. And-are you lips swollen?"

"Why the fuck are you looking at my lip?" Sasuke responds, with equal annoyance. He quirks his eyebrows up and looks at his blonde friend through the corner of his eye.

"And who's "him?" And why is she thinking about why you're not him?"

Sasuke leans against the seat and stares straight ahead out the windshield, "It's no business of yours, dobe."

Naruto only pouts, "But I tell you everything about my-"

"I've never asked. You willingly tell me stuff about things I never care about."

"You're so mean." Naruto whines I don't see how Hina can stand you."

Sasuke twitches at the nickname, 'Hina,' and just rolls his eyes. "Shut up. We have other things to worry about right now."

"Yeah." Naruto agrees, immediately sobering. He takes his hands off the wheel and lights a cigarette before resuming his illegally-fast cruise down the highway. Sasuke doesn't think seriousness is a good look on his friend; it makes him look too old and nothing like the playful Uzumaki. "This whole thing with the snitch is getting out of hand. We're so close to ending up dead-"

"We're close to death every day." Sasuke cuts him off, feeling like he's having one of those annoying conversations with Hinata.

Naruto sends him an annoyed look out of the corner of his eye, "Well _yeah_, but it's different because the person who's setting us up is one of _us."_

"Hn." Sasuke agrees. He really is quite ready to murder whoever is ratting them out. They've cost them enough injuries to last a lifetime, damaged cars, and have been the cause of a kidnapping and thousands of lost dollars. "That's still not what we should be focusing on though."

"Yeah." Naruto says again, he exhales and tightens his grip on the wheel. "Kiba and Shino are in trouble right now." Naruto drops the cigarette out the window and makes a face, "Why hire thugs to beat them up though?"

"Why not? They have no loyalties or reason to do anything. They just want to get paid and the Akatsuki can afford that." Sasuke reaches under the seat, hands blindly searching for a second, bigger gun stashed there. "The Akatsuki know that if one of their men attacks one of us full on-there'd be no going back. It'd be a full war with Tsunade and Hiashi and everything. But if they continue indirect attacks, we can only do the bare minimum without starting and upset like they want. All they need is an excuse to take us out-Hiashi will back the decision. They'll get the resources and money and protection...and we'll be dead."

Naruto just shakes his head, his hands jerking the wheel hard to the left, "Shit. We could try their approach, right?"

Sasuke takes out his own cigarette-he really hates the things, he really does-and shakes his head. "Yeah we could. If we had a little snake that could know about all of their plans. Unfortunately we don't the resources for that, and the closest we've gotten to any type of spying was Hinata-and she was almost killed because of it." Sasuke flicks the ashes into Naruto's cup holder. "I talked it over with Shikamaru. He says we just have to stay defensive until something opens up. There's nothing we can do without it being forward and eventually starting a war. It's shit, man."

Naruto makes a growling noise in his throat as he drives off the exit and onto some sketchy looking street. "Damn man. We had them doing a trade out here?"

"It's nothing out of the ordinary to do trades here. Besides, this is Tsunade's land-another reason why thugs with no specific loyalties were the best way to go." Sasuke's dark eyes trace over the towering apartment buildings and flickering orange street lights at every corner and no more than 10 feet apart. Around here, fear of the dark is practical. No one steps into the shadows of darkness unless they're crazy. Sasuke's eyes narrow as Naruto drives around, he turns towards a dark park, dimly lit my more orange lights.

"Turn left," Sasuke mutters, his eyes passing over a group of guys standing around a lone bus stop sign. Busses don't run this late and they look highly suspicious. But Sasuke's no cop, he just stares back unflinchingly and grimaces when one of them spits at the car. "Make another left at this next corner and then make a right and follow the alley down."

"Too complicated." Naruto mutters, "No wonder they couldn't get out, this place is confusing as hell." Naruto feels jumpy all over. His fingers shake as he tries to jerk the wheel to the left. It's been fifty minutes since Shino's call. Fifty. Anything could've happened. They could be dying. They could be _dead._

Naruto finally pulls up to an old warehouse looking place. Naruto can only think about how cliché it is for a couple seconds before Sasuke is tossing a large piece of metal at his face. Naruto grabs the gun before it can cause any damage. They both get out the car, their feet scuffing against the badly paved road. Sasuke raises two fingers to quiet the blonde but Naruto is only annoyed. He wants to find his friends.

Sasuke's eyes narrow as he takes in his surroundings. The warehouse door has heavily rusted chains and a padlock on it so there's no chance of them being there. Sasuke doesn't see Kiba and Shino's car so he can only assume that it was stolen. Makes sense.

Naruto wavers impatiently behind Sasuke, guarding his back and biting his fingernails off. Time is ticking away and he's sure it's been an hour already.

Sasuke's eyes go to the ground and notices broken glass and a pocket knife glinting in the orange light. Signs of struggle. He eases around the corner of the warehouse before half running down its length, trying to make as little sound as possible.

Finally, Sasuke reaches the back of the warehouse to find...nothing. He tightens his fingers around the gun before turning to Naruto.

Naruto isn't paying attention to him though; he breaks into a sprint and collapses on his knees besides what looks like a bag of garbage. "Yo Shino." He turns him over on his stomach to see a bloodied face. Shino isn't wearing his glasses and hood but Naruto still can't say he's seen the guy's face as the darkness acts as protection. Shino's eyes crack open but he makes no response. Naruto stops trying and starts to sling him across his back.

"Be careful." Sasuke mutters, "He could have broken ribs or something." His eyes flicker over the scene. The thugs seem to be long gone, which makes sense. His eyes search for Kiba among the wreckage. After what seems like hours of agonized searching, he finds the guy left on his stomach by a rickety gate. His jacket is torn half off and his shirt barely seems to be hanging on his body. Sasuke doesn't even want to think about what his face looks like. He picks up the guy bridal style-he doesn't want to injure him more-he grimaces, cradling a guy in his arms is not exactly on his bucket list.

Nonetheless, the Uchiha is careful not to jostle his friend in case he has rib injuries or internal bleeding or anything else like that. Sasuke drops him the backseat, grimacing when he notices that he can't lay out both Shino and Kiba. They'll have to sit up through the ride. They're barely conscious anyway.

"Sakura or hospital," Naruto questions, getting back into the driver's seat and wiping a bloody hand on the seat.

"Hospital."

"Gotcha."

-:- -:- -:-

"I say we call the truce and take them out one by one."

"We can't do that." Shikamaru responds to the blonde, rolling his eyes. He won't even explain to Naruto that there is no official truce with the Akatsuki...it's just neither side is _directly_ targeting each other. "Tsunade won't help us out unless they start it. We're supposed to be the peacemakers."

Sasuke snorts from across the room. He leans against the leather chair in the tiny unit and looks at the Nara boy, "So basically we can't do anything."

"We can look for the snitch." Naruto says lightly, "Then it'll give us a reason to appeal to the old lady about a fight."

Shikamaru sighs, "I have some leads..." His eyebrows crash over his eyes and he leans forward, "But...I don't want to be wrong. I have to look into this more."

"Alright Nara, do some snooping. There's really nothing else for us to do right now besides cancel future trades." Sasuke mutters, "I'm going to-"

The door burst open and three girl stumble into the stuffy office bringing in rain and cool air. Hinata shuts the door behind Sakura and peers at the other three somber men sitting quietly. Her eyes pass over Sasuke and she blushes and looks away. The kiss had been hours ago but she can still feel him on her lips.

She wipes those thoughts away as Ino says, "How are they? What happened?" She takes a seat on the table across from Shikamaru and folds her legs.

Hinata searches for a place to sit, eyes glancing around the small room to see that the only seat left was taken by Sakura. She titters by the door awkwardly before Sasuke gets up suddenly and orders her to 'sit down or something' because she's making him annoyed. She sits in his chair, still warm from his body, and pulls her knees to her chest.

"Shino is okay. He didn't take too much damage besides a concussion and a couple of scratches." Naruto mutters to them. Sasuke just grunts and cleans forward on the back of Hinata's chair. He folds his arms on the tops of it and Hinata squirms from his closeness. "Kiba is worse. He has a couple broken ribs, sprained wrist, stitches."

"Could've been worse." Sasuke says suddenly causing Hinata to look up, surprised. Her light eyes meet his dark ones before fluttering away shyly. She goes red. "Could've been dead."

"Don't say that." Sakura mutters from next to Naruto, "Please don't say that."

Thunder rumbles in the distance, filling the silence with the sounds of a storm approaching. Filling the silence with dread.

"You all act like death isn't a possibility." Sasuke mutters, he gets off the chair, surprising Hinata again. "You're in a gang. People die."

Sakura makes a sound of protest but Ino waves her off, "He's right. We've been fortunate to have everyone with us."

Hinata rubs her legs, her eyes downcast. She doesn't want to think about death and wars. She just wants her friends to be alive and healthy. She doesn't like the feeling spreading through her stomach, filling her with dread and anxiety.

She feels like the walls are suddenly closing in on her and she can't escape. Her fears run through her head and replay. She remembers all the bad stuff she's been through, that mission with Sakura, spying, her being kidnapped, and then she thinks of all the injuries her friends have gotten...starting with Choji in ICU and ending with Kiba in a similar situation. Tears gather at the corner of her eyes because she doesn't want any of them to die-and she doesn't want to die. And everything is getting _bad_, not like how it was before. Every time she goes out she has to worry about dying or one of her friends dying-or-

A hand clamps down on her shoulder, strong and reassuring. She blinks away her fear and looks up and into eyes like onyx. They are amused, as always, like her fear is irrational, but they are also concerned and reassuring. Still, they're hard, telling her that her fear _isn't_ irrational.

Hinata blinks at Sasuke. His face is expressionless, save for his eyes. She can feel the warmth of his hand through her shirt, thinking that there's only one layer of clothing separating them from skin-to-skin contact. Even if it's just her shoulder, even if it's just his hand.

"-Hinata are you okay?" Ino asks, breaking through her thoughts. "I think you just had a panic attack or something."

"Uh yeah." She stands dizzily; Sasuke's hand moves from her shoulder and for a moment, is at her waist. But by the time the world stops spinning, his hand is already gone. "I-I think I'm going to sleep for a few days."

"Days?"

"Y-yes."

"I thought you were planning on going back to school tomorrow? Since it's so important." Sasuke says, a hint of teasing in his voice that only she can detect. And maybe Shikamaru can too, or maybe he's just been noticing everything between them because his eyebrows have been raised since Hinata sat down.

Hinata pauses before shaking her head, she walks over to the door, ready to go home. "School _is_ important." She pauses, "But sleep is at the top of my priority list."

-:- -:- -:-

"I can't believe they let a dog in the hospital room," Hanabi mutters as she sags down in an uncomfortable tan chair across from two hospital beds. She makes a face as if annoyed; after all, these aren't even _her_ friend.

Hinata just ignores her and moves to the dog lying on the floor between Kiba and Shino. The other Hyuga kneels and smooths her hand across Akamaru's head, lightly scratching behind his ears. The dog hardly responds, he only sniffs her hands before laying his big white head back onto his paws. Hinata frowns, Akamaru usually greets her with an excited licks and playful head buds, but now he just lies there, waiting for his owner to feel better again.

Hanabi sighs again loudly, making sure she lets Hinata know that she's bored out of her mind. Hinata almost sighs back and glares at her but she just ignores her and doesn't turn around. "You didn't have to come, Hanabi."

Hanabi is quiet, watching her small sister place a handful of yellow, white, and pink flowers that seem to be tiny yet bunched together forcibly, into a clear vase. "Yarrows." Hinata explains to her quietly, "For good health."

Hanabi rolls her eyes; her sister had always been into gardening and flower pressing at home, she just didn't think the girl would carry that trait into her new, more dangerous life.

Hinata then starts to tidy up the few 'Get Well' cards that lingered on the same table as the flowers, she shakes a water container and makes a 'tsk' sound before carrying the empty pitcher into the halfway.

"Tch. Is Hinata always this fussy?"

Hanabi's eyes snaps to the sound of the voice and gazes uncaringly as Kiba rises from the hospital bed. She's sort of surprised because Kiba had looked borderline dead while sleeping there. She blinks, annoyed, as he sits up and moans from some pain in his chest. Her eyes pass over the bandages wrapped around his otherwise bare chest before flying away indifferently.

"Yes. And you should probably lie down before she comes back in and yells at you or something."

"Hinata wouldn't yell at me." Kiba announces, scratching under his armpits and then moving to scratch one of the triangle tattoos on his cheek. "I just never knew she was such a neat freak."

Hanabi wrinkles her nose in disgust at Kiba's show of unhygienic behavior, "Yeah well...She's only like that when she's worried."

"Huh." Kiba leans over and says, "Alright, c'mon buddy."

"Wh- oh." Hanabi replies, stupefied as the giant dog hops onto the bed with the Inuzuka. Akamaru is not a lap dog in any way but Kiba doesn't seem to mind as the dog sits on his legs and licks his face. Kiba wraps his arms around the animal and laughs, ignoring the pain in his chest when he does that.

"You'll probably tear a stitch doing that." Hanabi mutters, her eyes flicker over to a bandage across his chest before returning to the window.

"Nothing I haven't done before," Kiba says, as if it's something to be proud of. He shakes his head and messy brown hair flies around his tan face making him look...kinda dangerous and maybealittlecute. But Hanabi just shakes her head and glares out the window; she doesn't want to be friends with _Hinata's_ friends. "Hey Akamaru, you haven't met Hinata's sister have you?"

Frankly, Hanabi doesn't want to meet Akamaru, but nonetheless, the dog bounds over to her with its tongue hanging out of its mouth like it's suddenly decided to like her. Hanabi hesitantly scratches behind his ear before jumping as the giant dog plants two paws on the(_Designer!)_ jeans she'd stolen from her sister (which she doesn't wear/appreciate anyway!). His tail wags frantically behind him and Hanabi gives an uncomfortable laugh as she continues to rub the dog's head.

"See? He likes you," Kiba says, pleased, he scratches his armpit again a smile coming across his tan features, "I knew you couldn't be too bad, Hyuga. Everyone else thought you'd be...well, a bitch."

Hanabi frowns, her awkward patting slowing a big, "Umm...thanks?" She can admit, sure, she can be a bitch, but she's surprised that Hinata's friends have already tacked the title onto her name after she _helped_ save her. It's just another reason why Hanabi doesn't want to interact with her sister's friends.

"Yeah. They all thought you'd be all spoiled and mean. But you're not too bad." Kiba tousles his hair again and Hanabi almost feels distracted by a boy for the first time. As much as her 'good' friend Konohamaru had tried back at home...he could never divert her attention from something else to him, even if it had been as simple as her staring out a window.

She shakes her head and turns back to the dog, wondering if it would ever get tired of her rubbing its stomach. Probably not.

"Alright," Hinata flutters back into the room with a water pitcher, a tray of food, some magazines, and other unnecessary stuff, and starts arranging things on the table, "This should be here for when they wake up, I hope they're not too bored. Maybe I should actually go to school so I can bring them their homework-"

"No thanks. I won't do it anyway." Kiba mutters, sending a wink to Hanabi for reasons she cannot fathom. She just rolls her eyes and resumes her attention on...the dog.

"Kiba!" Hinata drops the magazines and half runs across the room and into his arms. Hanabi just rolls her eyes again. Hinata snuggles her head under his chin for a couple seconds before snapping back up with her hands on her hips like a worried mother.

Kiba's eyebrows raise and Hanabi wonders if it's her who is bringing back Hinata's 'caring motherly side' and wishes that that side of her can just _go away. _ It's been a few days and Hanabi _still_ hasn't seen her sister kick someone's ass. It's disappointing.

"What are you doing sitting up?" Hinata gently pushes him back down, "You're going to tear your stitches or something. How are you feeling? Do you want some water?"

"Whoa, Hinata, just calm down. I'm fine. Ya know...just happy I'm alive." He smirks at her, patting the edge of her bed so she can sit. She sits on the edge but still manages to pull her knees to her chest. Akamaru runs from Hanabi's hands and rests his head on Hinata's feet; her fingers come to stoke his head.

Hanabi feels the loss of heat and leans back against the uncomfortable tan chair, alone again. She just stares out the window like she's been doing for the last thirty minutes.

"Yeah me too." She shoves his shoulders lightly, "You really scared me, okay? Don't do that again." Hinata smiles and turns to the dog, "And Akamaru. You should've heard him whining." She scratches behind his ears, "Has Shino woken up? He wasn't hurt as bad as you had been…"

"I don't know." Kiba shrugs and almost sits up again but is stopped by Hinata's almost-glare. Instead he moves his hands behind his head "The guy's fine, I'm sure. Probably just taking a nap."

"Hm." Hinata jumps off the bed and signals to Hanabi, "I wish I could've talked to him but I need to get home."

"I'll let him know you came by." Kiba reassures, his eyes turn to Hanabi, "See ya mini-Hinata, hope we can be friends!"

"Not if you keep calling me that." Hanabi mutters, wondering how the nickname even came about. She steps out of the room, not bothering to return Kiba's fleeting smile.

-:- -:- -:-

"When is this all going to be over with?" A long sigh is released, so full of _tired._ A shaky breath is released and then, "I'm getting nervous. I don't like the feeling in my stomach-"

"Patience," Itachi mutters, tapping his companion on the shoulder in what is a pathetic attempt at a calming gesture. "Everything will be in your favor once we get Sasuke on our side." He turns his eyes towards his...partner, "You've been a rather good help but, you're withholding quite a bit of information from me. We can't progress if you're trying to keep people safe."

The person looks away, "I don't want anyone hurt because of me."

"Too late for that."

They cringe, "-But I can tell you that there's only two people holding Sasuke back, and that's Naruto and Hinata."

"Hn." Itachi rests his head on his hands, elbows on the table. "The Hyuga was supposed to taken care of."

"Deidara saved her," It slips out their mouth so fast, it was hard to stop. "I don't understand these people's fascination with her."

"Just like your fascination with me, or even better,with my little brother." Itachi turns away, a smirk in place, "There's something so sweet about the unattainable."

"What's thats supposed to mean?! You said he would-"

"I know what I said," Itachi doesn't stop to look back, "Patience. You're doing a fine job. You'll get your reward."

"And everyone with be okay? They'll be safe? None will die because of me"

"Everyone will be safe," Itachi confirms, lips only lifting an inch at the tiny lie.

-:-

**A.N. Yeah well you all should probably know who the snitch is by now.**

**Deidara in the next chapter! He was supposed to be in this one but sometimes this fics writes itself and certain things just don't fit and flow correctly.**

**I decided Hanabi needed a friend, and I figured Kiba is a good one for her. Like? Dislike? Hanabi's presence in this part of the story was completely unplanned, but it's a change I like.**

**Anyway, review!**


	30. twenty-nine

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 29**

Spring comes with a flurry of activity-not that winter had been any less active-but spring is especially tiring for Hinata. After all, just a couple days ago, two of her closest friends were hospitalized...and only a couple weeks before, her father had tried to kill her, and now, well...now she's caught between two boys. Two dangerous, dangerous boys.

And honestly, the boy thing is the least of her problems. Even if it's the most grating and trying, she has more important things to worry about. Like this whole gang war thing and the snitch situation.

Still, she'd love to vent about her boy problems...she's just not with Ino at the moment. The girl is somewhere with Shikamaru planning their next move or (more likely) making out, so Hinata is left all alone on Saturday.

She's not exactly 'alone,'...more accurately, stuck with Neji, who she _can't_ talk boy problems with.

She lies across his couch and flips through channels on his rarely used TV while listening to Neji's quiet musings on the stock market. Boring, but Hinata has always known that Neji could be a great business leader, he has a sharp mind and good leadership skills, he could've been quite a big help to her father.

Her father is something she doesn't want to think about either-even if she hasn't heard anything about him in the couple of weeks she's been back. He's been quiet...hauntingly so, like he hadn't just lost his two only children. The old man is all alone now, Hinata muses, having lost a brother, wife, nephew, and two children. It must be terribly lonely…it must be terribly sad.

Still, Hinata can't bring herself to feel _too_ much pity for the man that is her father. Everything he had lost was by fault of his own. He had been a man who had everything people dreamed of having, but slowly, he lost the things that truly mattered. Now he is merely a shadow of the man he'd once been. He is empty and he wants nothing but power.

"What do you think he's planning?" Hinata mutters to her cousin.

"Could be anything." Neji replies, turning down the volume on the TVs and looking over at her from across the room. He doesn't have to ask to know who she's talking about. "He's probably going about his business like none of this ever happened... In his mind he hasn't lost anything, but he hasn't gained anything either."

Hinata's eyes feel heavy, like she hasn't cried enough these few weeks alone. "You mean that he doesn't care that he's lost two children?"

She watches Neji shrug out of the corner of her eye. She can tell he's choosing his words carefully as he phrases his next sentence, trying not to make her feel bad. "You're father...is almost sociopathic about the way he handles things. He'll use anyone to get what he wants. When you were 'with' him, you were just a handy tool that happened to be his daughter...and when you weren't you were just an obstacle."

"The same almost applies to Hanabi except that he'd been using Hanabi since she was born. He'd been molding her into the perfect leader ever since he realized that you lacked potential. The only difference is that he put a lot of faith in Hanabi and thought his guidance would deter her from going astray-he was wrong, of course. But still, he hasn't lost a daughter, not really. He's lost another tool, and a valuable one."

"Because Hanabi knows all about his underground business," Hinata breathes, "Could she be in danger?"

"If he hasn't pursued her yet, she probably doesn't know enough to be a danger to him. She'll be fine." Neji turns back up the volume but flips the channels. He turns his head to look her in the eye, "You'll both be fine."

Hinata nods at him a little, a smile darting across her face. She lies back down on the couch and stares out of Neji's third floor window. More rain.

"How's your arm healing up?" Hinata gestures to Neji's casted arm-broken after Hiashi's men slammed into his car.

"Better," Neji grimaces at the white cast as if it somehow made him too weak. "Two more weeks and this thing comes off. By the way," Neji mutters, his eyes glinting, "You need to do more gun training. Soon."

Hinata doesn't know how the subject has changed from broken arms to killing machines but she frowns. "Y-yeah...you're right." She slowly admits, fearing that she's losing a piece of herself by agreeing to train again.

"Glad you recognize that." Neji smirks, "Anyway, I'll have to ask Uchiha to do it..." He sounds upset that he has to ask Sasuke to do _anything._

Hinata is suddenly alert and shifts on the couch so Neji can't see her face, "Umm. Why Sasuke? Why not...you?" It's not that she doesn't want to see Sasuke, but...she doesn't really know how to react or what to feel when she's around him. He just makes her nervous and full of anxiety. If he's the one that trains her (again), she'll probably accidentally shoot off her toe or something.

"I can shoot with one hand just fine, but it's better if you have a teacher who has two available." Neji tells her, frowning again at his cast, "Besides, Uchiha is like the best shooter we have…although I'm not sure about his teaching skills...Still, he's better than Naruto...and Kiba, the third best, isn't exactly in good condition."

"Everyone seems to be hurt lately." Hinata mutters sadly. Choji's rarely around, as his mom has tried to send him away to some boarding school. He still manages to come around once a week but it hasn't been enough lately. Neji has healing ribs and a broken arm, and Shino and Kiba are completely out of it. That's almost half of them...She remembers months earlier when she and Sakura had been targeted and almost _killed._ "It's like they're trying to take us out one by one so they'll be no one left to fight back when it comes down to it."

Neji pauses. He looks over at her and blinks before a look of disbelief crosses his features. "Wait. Say that again."

Hinata stares back at him, "It's like they're trying to take us out one by one so-"

"-Right. We've all been pretty much targeted," He begins to count off his fingers; "They've just been unsuccessful in death-although Choji was awfully close. Look, I need to go have a chat with Shikamaru. I'll be back later." He gets up quickly and puts on his shoes. He gives Hinata a tight squeeze before he goes, "Good catch, Hinata."

-:- -:- -:-

The cherry blossom trees have tiny green buds all over them, spraying the air with a fragrance that means that the flowers will be in bloom very soon. Hinata pulls her hoodie up over her eyes and steps out into the rain with a tiny sigh of contentment. She's needed a breath of fresh air for a while now.

Neji had probably hoped that Hinata would stay in his apartment for the rest of the afternoon, but Hinata wanted no part in being alone on Saturday. Still, she can't find anyone to hand out with. Her search for Ino was futile and she'd already visited Shino and Kiba earlier that morning. She could to back to the HQ, but she doesn't want to run into Sasuke in fear of awkwardness. Not that she'd mind making out with him again—

-_No no no. Bad, Hinata._ She rants to herself. She _doesn't _want to see Sasuke, and she _really_ doesn't want to make out with him. Okay, that's lie. Because Sasuke is a really good kisser-and making out with him wasn't slobbery! (She'd heard that making out with people was slobbery?) Then again...had they really made out? There was no tongue though...there was almost tongue but they'd been interrupted. Did it only count as making out if there was tongue? What was tongue even like? Slimy? And to think she almost got the chance to experience it...with Uchiha Sasuke no less.

Hinata shakes her head violently, her face turning so red she's afraid that she'll start to blend in with her rain boots. She starts to fan her face and lets the raindrops wash away the heat and embarrassment and ignorance as to what 'making out' really meant. God, she's such a little kid.

"Thinking 'bout me sweetheart?"

Hinata stops fanning her face to stare up at a man with a hood and smile, a cheap crooked one at that. A sense of deja vu washes through her and it's completely erased by the new and confusing mix of dread, anticipation, and yearning spreading through her core.

Still, she doesn't know what to say. She hasn't seen him in weeks but she won't lie and say she hasn't thought about him... a lot.

"U-uhh, w-why are you here?" Is all she manages to sputter. He's not exactly on the Leaf's turf, but he's sure as hell close enough. If he walks a half a block north he'd be good as dead. Then again, it's not like he hasn't been on her gang's turf before. He just doesn't care.

The hood is let down and his eyes are revealed. They're worrying her, as they resembled a storm, the blue looks darker than usual. "No happy to see me, un?"

"It's-it's not that." She mutters. She doesn't know what to do but she just really doesn't want to be seen with him. At the same time, she doesn't particularly want him to go away. She makes to grab his elbow, but instead finds her hand sliding down to grab his hand, and tugs him down the street, away from The Leaf's turf. "No, it's not that." She repeats her eyes on her scuffed rain boots that her sister calls childish. She stares at her black legging-clad legs stepping into little puddles and says in almost a whisper, "I think...I kind of...m-missed you."

"What was that, un? I couldn't quite catch that."

Hinata cannot see Deidara's face but she knows he's grinning. She just hopes his eyes aren't as gloomy. "Ikindof_missed_you." She says, louder, but less understandable. She continues to pull on his hand. His fingers are dry from the clay, but elegant and graceful as an artist's should be. She can't imagine these hands wielding a weapon.

"Still don't know what you said, yeah." He squeezes her hand and starts pulling _her_ along, taking turns down streets she's never seen.

"I said-" Hinata exclaims loudly, she tugs his hand hard and he stops, so she rises on her tiptoes and puts her mouth next to his ear, and whispers the next three words_. "I missed you."_

Deidara only smiles in response. Her voice tickles. It's like love and hope and everything else he's needed to get through the last couple of weeks. Warmth spreads over him, but he can't allow himself to show he feels it.

"Un." He continues to pull her along, not really intending on letting go. Besides, she started it. He feels light now-even with the rain pounding down on his head, the explosives weighing him down in his backpack, the gun tucked in his waistband, and the secret of his treachery for her, threatening his life. He feels light.

Hinata pouts, "You're supposed to say it back." She adjusts their hands, threading her fingers through his like an interwoven lock.

"But what if I didn't, yeah?" He teases; he drags her onto another street she's never heard of.

"Then you wouldn't have walked so close to my turf, hoping to find me."

Deidara raises an eyebrow, "Someone's getting a little cocky, yeah." He looks down on the top of her head, "Who says I wasn't seeing a friend?"

He continues to pull her. Finally, he brings Hinata to a tiny watch repair store. She looks at him confusedly as he opens another door besides the repair store door, sending a gust of warm air towards her. She steps in and notices that the only way to go is down, so she slowly walks down a set of creaky wooden stairs, covered by an old charming bohemian carpet. There are lights on either side of the stairway, lighting her path and making the descent seem magical.

"Whoa." Hinata says, appreciatively as she breathes in the smell of old books. There is, like, an entire library of books down here, just waiting for her to stick her nose in. She caresses the sides of leather bound books, some of the pages yellow and wrinkled with age. Still, Deidara hasn't released her hand, and he drags her through the quiet book store through tall towers of books and winding corners. He comes to a little coffee shop hidden in the back, and shuffles passed it to a hallway of doors. He drags her all the way to the last one on the right and pulls her in.

"This is my new studio, un." He says, eyes bright. He has this tiny hopeful smile on his face "It doesn't have all the natural lighting I wanted...and I can't set as many things on fire anymore, but I like it, yeah." He sits on the table and observes her observing his studio.

Well...it's charming, Hinata can agree with, but nothing like his old one. There are two windows at the top, letting in a slither of light, but otherwise, there is no natural light what so ever. The windows had been what Hinata liked about the last place. Still, this new place is pretty spacious. Half of the floor is concrete and the other half has hardwood flooring. The concrete part already has clay and paint lying across it, along with tables and tools and lots of white clay residue. There are two sinks on the far wall just under shelves, already full of paintbrushes and several shades of painting glaze. The other half of the room with hardwood flooring has a couch and coffee table and a couple stacks of books. All in all, the studio wasn't bad it was just...different.

She likes it, but she can't understand why Deidara picked it. She's sure he likes it too...it's just that, underground in a rented out space, he can't do all of the explosions he wants. He can't go wild and light things on fire like he wants to. This place will on restrict him and his art.

Hinata picks up a canvas, "Why did you move?" She brushes her hand across the back and flips it over to see her 'Happy' expression from what seems like so long ago, staring back at her.

"I was worried...that something would happen to my old one. So I moved, un." His eyes are back to that storm, all dark and cloudy and full of rain.

Hinata's feel apprehension wash through her. She doesn't like the way he's worded that. "Something like what?"

"I don't know, un." Deidara shrugs, "I just felt like I should move. All my important stuff was there, and everyone knew. So I moved."

Hinata puts the portrait of her down and touches his hand. "You didn't feel safe?" She takes a deep breath, if Deidara doesn't feel safe…something is wrong.

"I don't know." He moves his hand from under hers and walks around the studio, suddenly jumpy. "I don't know. Akatsuki doesn't know anything about what happened-what happened with me and you. But the snitch does-your snitch-and that person can tell on me_. _You know that?" He snarls at the wall, his bang flying around his face as he paces. "Leader made me quit school a couple weeks ago—said I had more important things to do. Luckily, I can finish up the last few weeks alone and still get my diploma so I can get out of here." He paces around the room again, "And I still can't leave."

Hinata stares at his sudden flurry of activity, confused. Everything had been fine minutes ago, now he's a shaking mess. He's likes a caged tiger. Angry, dangerous, scared. She steps back but wills herself to speak despite her confusions, "W-why can't you get out?" He's ranting, but she can't make sense of his words. What exactly is he trying to say?

He shakes his blonde hair again, takes off his T-shirt and lifts his wife- beater up to his neck. He points frantically to a tattoo looming there on his chest, "Do you see this? I swore my allegiance to those assholes and I can't fucking get out. They're paying my goddamn _college tuition_, understand? I _can't leave._" He runs his hands through his hair, eyes burning. "Jesus, I was thirteen when I joined. Just a kid, didn't know nothing, yeah. They'll kill me if I leave. They own me, un."

Hinata walks over to him on shaking legs. He's scared, she realizes. He's _really_ scared, and he doesn't want to fight anymore. He doesn't want this life anymore.

"And I was fine with it for a while, this life. And then I met you, and then everything just got so fucked up. Like my mom-"

"Y-your mom?" Hinata hasn't heard anything at all about his family. She almost assumed he didn't have one.

"-is dying from cancer in Iwagakure, some cities over, my best friend, Sasori, is turning into Akatsuki's little puppet I can't afford to go to college. And then there's you…and I just _had_ to love a girl who I can't even fucking have."

Hinata stills and feels her heart swell in her chest, but at the same time, its breaking. She doesn't know what to do; she doesn't know how to help him. He said it himself, he's trapped.

Deidara sits heavily on the table again, tying his hair up atop his head. He's quieter now, more stable. "-and I thought, If the Akatsuki is going to own me for the rest of my life, I might as well have a sanctuary. So I bought this shitty studio, in the middle of both turfs, and thought that just maybe, you'd share it with me, yeah." He smiles at her-that cheap crooked smile-but the sadness is still in his eyes. "Because I think you've already figured out that I love you, un."

Hinata pauses and has to stop to catch her breath. She can't say that she loves him back, because she hasn't been able to figure out her feelings for the last three months, but she can say she likes him, and she can say that she'd love to share the studio with him. She wills herself not to cry, because if anyone should, it should be him, and walks between his open legs. They're face to face for once, since he's sitting on the table, she wraps her arms around his neck.

She still can't say it back because she doesn't know how she feels, but she loves hearing it. "What was that? I didn't quite catch that."

Deidara grins at her, the storms are gone from his eyes and he wraps his arms around her back, pulling her tight against his chest. "I love you, un."

Hinata crosses her arms and steps back, "Without the '_un_, please." She teases. Her eyes trace his bare shoulders up to his lips, then his eyes. The blue lights up with mischief.

"Are you mocking me ma'am?" He gets off the table in a quick motion and picks her up with both hands. He places her on the table instead and grabs her chin with one artist hand. He presses his lips against hers and mutters, "I. Love. You." against her lips, with no 'un'.

The indigo haired girl smiles and pulls the blonde closer to her, her heart beating in sync with his. She closes the distance between them again, and for the first time it is _she_ that is kissing _him._

And if she didn't know what making out was before, she had definitely found out minutes later.

**A.n. Eheheheheheehehehehehehe im crying because this is so cute.**

**But whenever I write DeiHina I'm always thinking 'heeey what's Sasuke doing?' And vice versa when I write SasuHina so...**

**Well anyway enjoy this while you can and review :D**

**(To the die-hard SasuHina shippers here: Please don't beat me up.)**


	31. thirty

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 30**

Patches of light shine through Hinata's thin curtains, showing thin beams of light sitting across her bed and floor. She blinks slowly against the light, a smile gracing her features, if only a small one. She feels amazing.

There is warmth in her core, bubbling inside her and filling her body with heat. Yet, she feels light, like she could fly away into the clouds and nothing could pull her back down.

But no, she's not in love.

It's just the feeling of _being _loved-or knowing that you _have_ someone to love you. It instills you with confidence, it makes you feel strong. To know that someone _loves _you is like having the whole world at your fingertips, like you can do anything.

Because someone loves you.

And when someone loves you, you can't help but to start to love them back-if only a little, or piece by piece. When someone decides that you are their whole universe, you can't help but love the love they feel. You can't help but begin to appreciate them even more.

But most importantly, when someone loves you are powerful and nothing can stop you.

Hinata rolls off her bed with the smallest smile, letting the three words, eight letters, run through her head on repeat. Over and over like she can't get enough of the sound or the word. _love._

No one had ever told her they loved her before. Sure, she knows that people do, in fact, love her-but it had never been vocalized...and it had never been the type of love where the word _love_ seemed like something completely different.

When the word _love_ seems like it holds all the power and stars and wishes and magic in the universe, like God himself seems to be in the mixture, it is powerful.

She curls and uncurls her toes to the sound of the word. _Love_ like poetry, like magic. Unreal. Why does he love her? Why does he _love_ her?

And why can't she _love_ him back? And why can't it be simple?

She doesn't love him like she loves cinnamon rolls-that's a different love- and she doesn't love him like she loves Neji or Hanabi-still different. It is more than that. Yet, she doesn't _love _him-or at least not yet.

But she likes him. She likes him more than she loves cinnamon rolls. And she likes him more than anything else she can think of.

Except for Sasuke.

But she doesn't _love_ him either.

Still, the word love seems like a curse and a gift all wrapped into one. Everyone longs for it, but what do you do once you have it? If you can't rekindle it, it's just...there. One-sided and lonely.

Hinata's smile fades a little as the thoughts swish around in her brain. She shakes her head to clear it and stands up to get ready for the day; after all, she has to use the killing machine today.

With Sasuke.

With all the talk of _amor_ floating around in her brain, she's forgotten to feel dread for this upcoming training session. And even worse, anxiety for seeing Sasuke. Who knows what will happen with him?

"You look like you're going to throw up."

Hinata turns her head to see Hanabi standing in her doorway, sporting a pair of _her_ shorts and a shirt of Neji's. Hanabi always shows up when Hinata doesn't want to be bothered. She just sighs and mutters, "Don't worry, I'm not. I didn't even eat last night."

Hanabi's eyes narrow at her and she angles her whole body towards her sister, "Where were you last night? Neji said when he came back you weren't there."

Hinata turns away, her cheeks quickly coloring at the memory before she banishes the thoughts from her mind. "I was busy." Hinata responds easily, slipping a blue hoodie over her head.

"Doing what?" Hanabi presses on, she comes quietly behind Hinata, dividing her hair into parts before starting a fish-tail braid. She yanks on her hair a little, "I wanna know."

Hinata rolls her eyes and contemplates telling Hanabi everything-besides, she already knows about Deidara, he having rescued them from the clutches of their evil father. Plus, Hinata has been dying to tell _someone_ about all her problems. Ino hasn't been around lately and who better to tell than her own sister?

Even if her and Hanabi are not the best of friends...there is a bond slowly forming, different than anything they'd had before. And sure, they argue, and scream, and use Judo techniques on each other when completely necessary, but they're still sisters. And now they're together.

"It's a long story." She sighs and sits down on her bed to allow Hanabi to braid her hair properly. She supposes that she'll tell Hanabi, at least it will help her get all this stuff off her chest.

Hanabi tugs her hair again, this time, harder. "It's not like I have anywhere to go, stupid."

"Don't call me that."

"Stupid."

"U-u..ugly."

"Don't ever try to insult someone again."

-:- -:- -:-

_At least it's not raining. _Hinata muses as she sits outside the shooting range or whatever. It's a weird thought for Hinata because she usually loves rain. The constant downpour has depressed her as of late, now she only wishes for the sun.

It's not exactly sunny either...just cloudy and boring. The clear gray skies remind her of winter and the time spent with her father.

Sasuke is late and Hinata can't blame him. He probably has something better to do than train her. She's still stuck on the fact that Sasuke has enough money to buy a _shooting range_ and have it built in the middle of a supposed-to-be-closed storage facility without the police becoming suspicious. Let alone get away with a room full of weapons, most probably illegal.

Then again, they seem to have money for everything. Nice cars, flat screen TVs, gym equipment...Hinata has to remember that they're a gang invested in crime. She's not on the 'good' side, not to the police anyway.

"Yo."

Hinata looks up to see Sasuke approaching, his hands tucked into his pockets, a smirk in place. Hinata searches his face quickly before looking away, blushing. Her hands fumble around the braid Hanabi had done for her.

"Nice braid." He says without looking at her, he takes out a key and opens the door, "You coming or what?"

"Uh..yeah." She says back, getting to her feet. She follows Sasuke past the shooting range and towards another door. He unlocks it and gestures for the Hyuga to follow him through.

Hinata blinks after he flicks the light on and her vision is assaulted by rows upon rows of guns. There are other things too, like knives and swords...ninja looking weapons, really. Her eyes return to the killing machines, wondering why in the word there were so many different types if in the end they all accomplish the same thing.

Sasuke smirks at her astonished expression and turns to the far left, gesturing again, for her to look. "These are pistols-probably the only type of gun you'll ever use." He picks up a small one with a wooden looking grip. It looks like one of guns you see in American western movies-where the guys hold up two and twirl them around their fingers. "This is a derringer. We only have a few; I'm not a big fan..."

He drops the gun into Hinata's hand, not really paying attention to her. "It's got a large caliber...short barrel. Not my favorite-"

"W-what's a caliber?"

Sasuke glances down at her, annoyance swimming in his eyes. He takes the gun from her hands and puts it back. "Never mind. It's not important."

Hinata goes red and feels the need to apologize, "Uh...sorry. I-"

"-You'll be using pockets or sub-contact pistols mainly-"

"-Don't cut me off," Hinata mutters more to herself than him.

Sasuke pauses briefly, eyes glinting with amusement, "Do you want me to train you or not Hyuga?"

"You don't have to be mean..." She mutters again, blinking lavender eyes at him innocently.

"My middle name is mean."

Hinata snorts, "T-that's stupid."

"_You're_ stupid. Shut up."

"Don't tell me to shut up! Y-you...shut up!"

"Hyuga, I'm the one holding the weapon. Mind what you say."

"Hn. M-mind what you say. _Hn. _I'm s-stupid. _Hn._" Hinata mimics.

"Hinata?" Sasuke says, eyes glaring but lips quirked up. "Shut the hell up."

"Stop telling me what to do-"

"Oh my God. Will you two please stop acting like two year olds?" Tenten stands in the doorway with an amused smile. She shakes her head and comes into the weapon room with the two slightly-embarrassed teenagers. "God. I've been standing there for two minutes and I didn't hear one intelligent sentence come out of either of your mouths."

"They are being youthful today! Tenten, you cannot fault them for expressing such desire to be young."

"Shut up, Lee." The bun girl mutters. She smirks and watches Sasuke's eye twitch, "Uchiha I never expected you to get in an argument like that."

"Hn."

It takes everything for Hinata not to burst into giggles at the word. Sasuke glares at her from the corner of his eye as a large grin splits across her face and her shoulders shudder with amusement. "Hn." She repeats, agreeing with Tenten.

Tenten grabs two swords lying in the corner and watches Sasuke's eye twitch more as Hinata makes fun of him. "You two should stop arguing and just make out already. Promise I won't tell Neji." Tenten winks at her and Hinata's giggles stop. Her cheeks warm and she doesn't dare to look at Sasuke.

"Yes," Lee agrees, following Tenten out of the unit, "As spring comes, and flowers blossom, love blooms too! There is nothing more youthful than blooming flowers in the middle of a storm. Beautiful Hinata and brooding Sasuke's love is like-"

"Shut. The hell. Up. Lee." Hinata can just hear Tenten growl as they pair continue out of the shooting range. A sound of pain is heard seconds later and then Hinata and Sasuke are left in silence.

Hinata clears her throat awkwardly, "Well, um-"

"Now that you're not being _annoying_," Sasuke continues without missing a beat, "We can finish."

"Well _sorry_, Mr. Sasuke 'Mean' Uchiha."

Sasuke blinks at her, his mouth in a thin line but his eyes betraying him. The smoldering black is laughing at her, and she knows it. He just shakes his head, "Shut up."

"Okay." Hinata squeaks, cursing herself for saying something stupid.

For the next five minutes, Sasuke explains the Pocket and Sub-Contact pistols to her, saying that those will be the ones that she'll use. They're like the ones she's seen in movies. He explains cleaning, and bullets, and power, things like that which generally bore her.

He drops a black gun into her hands, "That's yours now. Take care of it. It's a CZ 50 semi-automatic," Sasuke says, as if the name means something to her. "You can even name it if you want," Sasuke teases.

Great, Hinata sighs, now she _owns_ a killing machine. Where's she gonna put it? Under her bed? Or will it lie on her desk-becoming a part of the scenery?

"Most of us have more than one-more than two even. So take a Bersa Thunder 380." Sasuke hands her a silver gun with a black grip. Hinata can only wonder how he knows the names of all these weapons. "Also semi-automatic. It's a pretty good weight for you." He drones on.

Now Hinata owns two weapons. What next? Explosives? She's sure Sasuke's going to hand her a couple hand grenades and tell her to 'have fun.' Maybe even dynamite...She shakes the thoughts out of her head. Explosives remind her of Deidara. And thinking about Deidara while around Sasuke can't lead to good things.

"So are we done here?" She says hopefully, knowing she's not.

"Hyuga, if you think this counts as 'training' then you're not as bright as I thought you were."

Hinata juggles the weapons in her hands, "Why don't you call me by my name?

Sasuke glances at her from the corner of his eye, rolling his eyes. "Fine_. Hinata_, really wish you'd shut up."

Hinata makes a face at his serious tone, wondering if she should feel hurt by how much he's been telling her to 'shut up.' "R-really wish you'd stop telling me what to do."

"You were a lot less annoying when you _didn't _talk."

Hinata frowns, this time, hurt does spread through her, she tries to put her hands on her hips but fails when she remembers that she's holding guns. She wonders when the whole conversation started going downhill. Not ten minutes ago, they were fine. "W-what's your problem?"

Sasuke ignores her and walks into the cage, gesturing for her to follow. His face is a mask.

Hinata makes her face blank too, trying to hide her hurt. Before everything was fine...or as fine as it could get. But now, he's distancing himself and being...mean. She decides not to think about it and grabs one of the guns-she can't remember which is which-and aims.

"Wrong." Sasuke calls. "Your footing is off."

Hinata flinches and stands with her feet shoulder length apart. She points the nose of the gun, her hands are sweaty, and fires. On the bright side, she actually hits the paper; on the other side...it only hit the silhouette's arm.

"Are you trying to be bad on purpose?" Sasuke says, annoyance laces in his tone. He leans against the glass, a little too confident that Hinata won't just turn around and shoot him instead.

Hinata's breath hitches with annoyance. Sasuke is making her nervous and upset at the same time, wonderful. She pushes strands of loose hair away from her face and squares her shoulders. She shoots twice in quick succession, hitting the paper and the figure itself. She fights the urge to jump in joy.

"Better," Sasuke mutters. "Do it again."

She tries again, but almost misses completely, the bullet just brushing the edge of the paper.

Sasuke looks away, annoyed again, "Pathetic."

Hinata sighs hard through her nose. She places the gun on the floor beside the other one and turns to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Away." Hinata responds, annoyed. The pair had been just fine before, but Sasuke has suffered a major attitude change, that's only managed to make her nervous and unable to shoot correctly. So much for 'training'. She can't do much with Sasuke's annoyed glare on her back, angry at her for no reason. "You're making me nervous. I-I don't know why you're upset with me all of a sudden but it's not helping me train."

She practically sprints away from him and his moodiness. She doesn't know what that was all about but it still manages to hurt her feelings.

Just as she's opening the door, Sasuke grabs her wrist and spins her around. He doesn't do it gently and her shoulder hits the door noiselessly. Hinata's mouth opens and closes about five times, and she can't quite form the correct words to say. She wishes she would just let her go.

"Look Hy-Hinata, I'm...sorry." His fingers loosen around her wrist before he lets his hands fall uselessly to his sides. Sasuke's eyes betray nothing but his jaw is clenched. "I don't want to say this, but you're such a pain in the ass, you'd end up forcing it out of me."

Hinata blinks, confused. First, she doesn't know if she should be offended or not by the comment, and second, what is Sasuke even trying to say?

"I don't know how to feel about you." He says, face blank, tone cold. "That's a problem for me. I'm usually in control of everything, including my feelings, and then you come along." He takes a step back, eyes hard like this whole thing is her fault. "One second I know what I feel and then here you are saying something ridiculous." He stares at her, his eyes betraying nothing. "And then I look at you and everything changes."

Hinata blinks again, "So...you're angry at me...b-because you don't know how to interpret your own feelings?" At least that's what Hinata is getting from this conversation. She clenches her fists at her side and stares at him, eyes hard. "I...I'm sorry. But t-that doesn't mean you get to treat me like crap all the time. I...I'm not just some girl you can bully until you figure yourself out!"

"Tch." He turns away from her for a couple seconds before coming back and shoving the two weapons back into her palms. "This whole 'being friends' things isn't working out to well."

Yeah, Hinata thought that that was obvious after they'd kissed a week ago, but apparently Sasuke kisses his _friends_ on a regular basis. Nonetheless she mutters, "Yeah...I think you're right." She weighs the guns in each hand before clenching her fingers around the handles.

"Tch." Sasuke says again, he turns so he's not looking at her and flexes his fingers. "So, what now?"

"T-to be honest," Hinata mumbles so quiet that Sasuke has to strain his ears, "To be honest I know what I feel for you." Her cheeks turn pink and she blinks hard to keep her eyes from watering at her nervousness. "I guess I...like you. But I can't deal with you when you can't even deal with your own feelings. I mean-I-Just! Just figure it out, Sasuke, okay?" She takes a deep breath, eyes watery.

Sasuke watches her wipe her face angrily before disappearing out of the door and down the road.

He leans against the glass with a heavy sigh, and mentally punches himself in the face. He has a lot of shit to figure out.

**A.N. A lot more was supposed to happen in this chapter but then it became eight pages long and I was like "Why are my plot charts so stupid?" and then I was like "What the fuck? This doesn't even go with the rest of the chapter!" So then I gave up and ended up cutting something that **_**ahem **_**you've all been waiting for out so YEAH!**

**I'm going to start writing the next chapter after I publish this so hopefully I can update *on time* on Sunday. If not, ahahahahahaha why did you even believe me?**

**My plot chart is ruined yet again, but plots are very complicated for me okay! (P.s. this is the longest fic I've ever written cut me some slack)**

**Alright peace out girl scouts(or boy scouts, no discrimination here) Don't forget to review!**


	32. thirty-one

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 31**

When she was thirteen years old, Hinata had learned that she would never ever have a boyfriend. It had been even harder for her to believe that any guy would ever like her-let alone think her beautiful.

She was just a frumpy unhappy rich girl who spoke very little and drew too much. Despite her failing social status in school, everyone seemed to know everything about her. They were mostly concerned about the fact that she could kick their asses using martial arts while simultaneously feeling profoundly sorry for even looking at you.

The girls mocked her, calling her ugly and chubby and unfashionable, and the boys were never too far away, agreeing. So it makes since that Hinata was very accepting towards the fact that she would never ever have a boyfriend.

That just makes this whole situation quite ironic. She's been so used to boys hating her, she doesn't know how to react when they actually...want her. At least Deidara does...Sasuke is...another case entirely.

The worst part is that she's actually losing sleep over the situation. She _can't_ like two boys. It's-it's terrible! It's..._slutty_, or something! And in the end, _someone_ will get hurt. Honestly she hopes if anyone gets hurt, it's her. She doesn't want to be the cause of heartache.

She trudges around the units, feeling annoying and useless. There's nothing she can do now. She's already told Sasuke that she _likes_ him, she can't take it back! She can only hope that he never talks to her again, which would probably crush her inside, but hey! At least she's not any breaking hearts!

_Sasuke is hardly breakable_. Hinata thinks to herself.

"Hey Hinata. Stop looking like a lost puppy already." Ino appears next to her, and begins to pace around with her with a grin. "What's eating you?"

Hinata deflates, "Where have you been lately?"

Ino just smiles, "Had to take care of some stuff with my mom. Plus…Shikamaru needed me for something."

Hinata snorts, "For three days? What did you do? Train him in CPR for that long?"

Ino winks at her, "Something like that!" She puts an arm around Hinata's waist, and the indigo haired girl does the same. "Don't change the subject though! What's up with you?"

Hinata glares at her, "Nothing. Just...boys." The mutters the word, like she can't believe that once in her life she's actually having a problem that involves them.

"Boys?" Ino wiggles her eyebrows. "Let me guess, my cousin stalks you, and Sasuke likes you…and then he hates you."

Hinata purses her lips, "Something like that…" She turns pink, "Your cousin doesn't stalk me though."

"You stalk him?"

"N-no! It's just different. He just says things."

"What type of things?" Ino's eyes wiggle suggestively. "When have you seen him anyway? Isn't that, like, against gang rules?"

"U-uhhh. Just things! And...probably." Hinata ducks her head, feeling ashamed. "With this whole snitch situation, I really shouldn't. It's just—now we're sharing a studio I guess—"

"You're sharing a studio?!" Ino practically screams Hinata panics and tries to quiet her with her hands. "Well that's—that's moving up in the relationship. So no more Sasuke?"

"Ummmm…" Hinata wishes she could stop saying 'um' and 'uh,' she's sounding dumber and dumber as the conversation progresses. "N-not really. W-we're like friends?" Okay not really. "And no…I have more problems with Sasuke.." She really doesn't want to be discussing this. "I just hope...I won't hurt anyone. I feel like a-a slu-"

"You're not." Ino rolls her eyes before Hinata can get the word out. "God I forget how innocent you can be. It's just a complicated situation. I don't really know how you're going to get out of it though. I know you like them both."

Hinata nods, her fingers come together nervously, an old habit that has suddenly reappeared. She sighs, she thought she was over this. She thought she had come so far, so different than her old self. Ino puts a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

Hinata finds herself nodding. She pulls herself together and stops twirling her fingers. The Hyuga stands tall and takes a deep breath. She's in control of the situation. She can handle anything.

"What will be fine?" A voice calls out. Hinata's head whips to the side to see Naruto strolling up with a strained grin on his face.

"Uh. None of your business Uzumaki." Ino says smiling playfully.

Naruto's smile only becomes more strained, "You guys are mean." He hovers there for a moment, "Anyway, there's a meeting in five minutes. Sasuke says it's pretty important."

"What's his problem?" Ino mutters, watching Naruto jog passed them and towards Neji and Tenten, arm in arm, down by the fence.

Hinata shrugs. Her face concerned as she watches Naruto too. "I don't know. I just…have a bad feeling now."

Ino's face turns worried, "Yeah, same." She rubs her arms. "I hope everything is okay."

-:- -:- -:-

Shikamaru has to be careful not to go through one box of cigarettes a day. The things are damn expensive for little cancer-causing, nicotine filled, tobacco sticks. Eight dollars a pack for Marlboro Reds is damned ridiculous. The Nara blows eight and sometimes sixteen dollars a day which can be added up to be too-much-of his own fucking money being spent weekly on something that will undoubtedly kill his ass...or at least take a lung.

The genius needs all the cigarettes he can get though. Being smart as hell can get depressing real fast. But so can being in a gang, and so can having one of your friends in said gang be a snitch. And he knows who it is- he doesn't want to know who it is-but he's too smart for his own damned good so now he blows around fifty-six a week or more on fucking cigarettes.

God, he's depressing.

When he had the first clue, he prayed he was wrong. He had never prayed before but he had tried it. He got on his knees and asked whoever the hell was listening to let him be wrong for once.

Shikamaru reaches into his pocket and pulls out his Marlboro Reds. Ino likes the Golds and Greens but Shikamaru refuses to part from his precious Reds. She likes Newport cigarettes too, but the Nara can't see himself smoking anything but Reds. Marlboro.

After all, that's what their good friend Asuma used to smoke.

He empties the remaining cigarettes onto his hands. He has eight left so he puts three back into the box, hoping that only five would be needed to get him through the rest of the night. He's trying to quit-which is a joke-by lessening his smoking one cigarette a day. So far it hasn't been working.

Today is especially stressful. Actually...today can probably be considered the worst day of his life. Shikamaru nods to himself, yes. That sounds about right. Today is the worst day of his life.

He just wishes that Choji was around and not at boarding school, to experience it with him.

He can't quite comprehend how selfish that is until he's taking the three cigarettes he put back, and shoving two in his pocket and one in his mouth. Choji is doing fine without them.

He's probably eating good boarding school food and chatting up all the good boarding school girls. That's the good life, Shikamaru thinks. The only mischief Choji can run into up there is smoking in the bathrooms and having sex on campus.

_He's lucky, _Shikamaru thinks, _he got away from all this crap. _Shikamaru crushes the cigarette against the metal of the unit.

That's the thing about him and cigarettes-he either only smokes half, or less, or smokes it until there's barely anything left to smoke. There is no in between.

"Time to get up." He drones to himself, making himself get off the floor of his unit. He's the one that's gathered the Leaf together tonight. Sasuke and Naruto already know what should happen, and like him, they've gotten over the shock and can only feel...well, more shock. Nothing is proved yet, of course, but if everything goes according to plan, it should be in due time.

He downs a cup of lukewarm coffee and throws a green hoodie that smells like Ino over his body. Figures, she must've been wearing it. She's always wearing his stuff.

He fights the urge to cry and lights a cigarette instead.

He wanders over to the corner of his unit and picks up a spare gun and tucks it into his waistband. Can never be too careful.

Finally he lazily saunters out of his unit and down the road to the meeting place, cigarette hanging out of the corner of his moth, eyes drooping, and hair almost falling out of its pony-tail.

God, he's dead tired.

God, he's dead sad.

He walks slowly; back hunched and hands swinging loosely by his sides. The trek to the meeting area isn't too far from his unit, but it's far enough for him. At least the weather has finally cleared up, it's no longer raining. The ground is finally dry and the grass isn't all gushy and muddy and annoying. He even sees little flowers pushing their way through the dirt.

The genius pushes his way into the crowded unit with everyone all hunched up inside. He drops the cigarette and stomps on the end before trying to find a seat. His heart feels like it's about to jump out his chest-he hates feeling so irregular. So nervous. "Troublesome." He mutters, pushing himself in a seat next to Naruto. His fingers twitch and he shakes his head in an attempt to calm himself down. If he's wrong...well, if he's wrong, he's not quite sure what will happen. An explanation would be required, and the search for the snitch will continue.

He still hopes he's wrong.

He glances around the room. They are missing two people, Choji and Kiba, who's still in the hospital. Ino chats quietly with Sakura on the couch across from him with Lee sitting on the edge. Neji and Tenten crowd around Hinata,who for once, isn't near Sasuke. Shikamaru has notice that they've become somewhat close, but that seems to have disappeared as Sasuke is sulking in the corner of the room by the chatting girls, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else. Probably preferably next to Hinata. The new Hyuga sits perched between Hinata and Naruto, looking grumpy and unhappy that she's even here. Shikamaru doesn't blame her.

Shikamaru winces as Naruto yells something loudly to Lee across the room. His voice is right next to his ear and Shikamaru can only shift away an inch before he's on the floor. He glances at Sasuke, ready to get this thing over with. After all, Sasuke's the one who makes the first move. If Shikamaru did it, they'd probably laugh in his face.

He's not quite sure how Sasuke is going to approach the situation, but it's not going to be pretty. Shikamaru shifts again and reaches into his pocket for a cigarette. He's not used to being nervous. He usually chill in any situation. They're being chased by the cops? Fine, just take an alternate route. The enemy figured out his plans in the middle of a fight? Whatever, he'll think of new ones. His friend was just shot in the stomach? Troublesome, but he'll probably be fine.

He's calm he's collected, he usually just doesn't care.

But not today. Not right now. His fingers shake when he reaches into his pocket to retrieve a cancer stick, his heartbeat quickens when Sasuke stands lazily from his chair, sauntering over to Sakura. He feels like a weight has just been dropped down his throat and is sitting in the pit of his stomach.

"You okay man?" Naruto says from beside him. He knows what's going to happen, but he's handling it much better than Shikamaru is. Shikamaru just nods. He lights the cigarette and a swift motion, making his fingers stop their shaking. He needs to calm down. He blows out the smoke slowly, before sticking the cigarette back into his mouth. He stares broadly at Sasuke who looks deadly and thoughtful.

He goes behind Sakura and puts a hand atop her pink head, Shikamaru can tell she's about to smile up at him before he says, "Sakura is the snitch."

There is a moment of complete and utter silence. It's stifling. Shikamaru has that awful feeling in his stomach again. His lips press hard against his cancer stick, he looks around the room to see the mixed reactions, ignoring only one person's.

Hinata is gripping Neji's hand for dear life and Tenten hangs off his shoulder, her mouth open as if she was just about to laugh at something he was saying before Sasuke's announcement. Hanabi looks shocked, but he can tell she doesn't care much. Naruto's expression is passive, as he already knows what is to happen. Shikamaru's eyes dance to the other side of the room, Lee's already large eyes can't seem to get any bigger, and Shikamaru can't tell much from Shino's expression, as it's hidden under glasses and a hood.

Finally, his eyes land on Sakura, who's mouth is wide open in surprise. She starts to laugh loudly, covering her mouth with both hands, tears bubbling down her face in streams like rivers of shock. "Hahaha. Good one Sasuke. _Very funny._"

"I'm not laughing." Sasuke removes his hand from her head, his eyes glinting with something dark. "This isn't a joke, Haruno."

Shikamaru's cigarette goes out. He brings out another Red and closes his eyes. Waiting.

Sakura blinks and turns looks around the room, "You can't be serious." There's pleading in her voice. Shikamaru can hear it crack and suddenly she sounds like all the air in the room has disappeared. He scrunches his eyes shut tighter. "You _c-can't _be serious. I would never do that! How could you think I would do that?" Her voice turns angry, she goes to stand on shaky legs, but Sasuke's hands bring her back down on the couch. Shikamaru peeks at her, her form shaking, a tsunami coming out of her eyes and spilling down her cheeks and under her chin. Her nails dig into the couch leaving half-moon imprints. She is a shaking mess. He feels bad for her so he just continues to smoke.

"We have the facts." Naruto chimes in, showing his support for Sasuke's claim. All a part of the plan, Shikamaru thinks. He looks like it pains him to say that, he's probably stopping himself from going to her. Shikamaru knows the guy's crazy about her.

"I-I-I" Her voice breaks about a thousand times, and her nails rake across her skin. Tiny blood-dots appear down her forearm and Shikamaru has to close his eyes again. This is all so troublesome. "I would _never_ do that." She repeats. "I love you guys, I would _die _for you." She hiccups and turns to the girl next to her, pleading with the blonde, "Y-you believe me right, Ino? Right?"

Ino just whispers, "Of course I do, forehead. Of course I do." Shikamaru meets her eyes from across the room and she looks away.

He nods to himself, probably looking a little crazy, but no one is paying attention to him at the moment anyway. Sasuke pulls out something black and shiny and the whole room holds its breath. Even Sakura, who can't even see Sasuke behind her, stills. She just shakes her head and presses her nails deeper into her flesh, not bothering to wipe away any tears.

Sasuke makes eye contact with Shikamaru, and he rises. He puts out the cancer stick and slouches towards Sakura, watching out of the corner of his eye as Sasuke presses the barrel of the gun against her head.

The Uchiha's eyes are so cold, the Nara gets shivers. He watches Sasuke mutter in a low tone, "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you for treason? We have evidence."

"I-I-" Haruno falls in abrupt hysterics, clutching Ino's hand for support.

Tenten has finally closed her mouth and frowns from across the room, "What evidence, Uchiha? Why don't you lay off her a minute?" Her voice wavers a bit from the stress but she holds her ground.

A couple others agree. They' have no reason to believe this. Shikamaru had predicted this, that's why they're going through this whole thing. They won't have enough until the person actually admits it.

Sasuke nods to Shikamaru, who begins to recite the things on his mental list. He rolls his head towards the ceiling and says, "Haruno Sakura. Accused of treason. Sakura had known about all of the sabotaged trades, having been in the room while they were being set up." He recites while simultaneously counting the dots on the ceiling. "She was one of the only people who knew. Secondly, her absences have led us to believe that she is cooperating with the Akatsuki against us. Her love for Sasuke has switched in favor of his older brother, who promised her power."

His eye twitches at all the bullshit that's exited his mouth. At least most of it is true, a bunch of them were just really strange coincidences, he's said what he's needed to and sits back down, eyes narrowed.

There is another silence, longer and more painful than the first. Even Sakura's sobs have been reduced to quiet whimpers. She can't do much with Sasuke's gun against her cranium.

"Anything else you have to say, Haruno?" His voice is probably colder than his heart right now, which is seems like a pretty impossible feat, to Shikamaru anyway. "'Cause you're going to die."

"S-Stop, Sasuke." A little voice makes its way across the room. "W-we can figure this out without the weapon." Hinata stands shakily, her face flushed.

The Uchiha only glares. Hinata returns the heated stare without looking back. Shikamaru is almost interested but figures he has no time to figure out the inner-workings of the Hyuga-Uchiha relationship. So far, things are not going as planned-especially when Hinata moves across the room and wraps her arms around the sobbing Haruno.

"Don't be annoying, Hyuga." Sasuke's grip on the metal tightens, "I'm trying to kill a rat."

Shikamaru is sweating again. This whole thing has been going on for long enough, if nothing happens they'll have to—

"Stop! Will you just stop it, Sasuke?!" Ino stands and pushes the Uchiha hard in the chest, actually making him stumble back a few paces from surprise. Her eyes burn with unleashed tears. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Forehead has been friends with you since the beginning of this damned gang! She helped start it, you retard. Why would she betray us?"

Shikamaru closes his eyes, because he knows it's coming. Knows it will end everything. Like the late night calls when he's half asleep, or the early morning donuts she likes to bring. Or the doodles on his newspaper, or the singing while he's trying to play shogi. Or her hands through his hair, or on his face, or on his chest. There will be no more messy drunk nights with him slowly putting her back together again like the pieces of a puzzle, there will be no more half-hearted study sessions and full blown make-out ones, there will be no one to read to or argue with or sleep with. There will be no more kisses that taste just like watermelon and feel just like love.

It's all gone. Gone, gone gone.

"I'm the snitch okay, Sasuke? Okay! That's what you wanted. You wanted me to admit it, didn't you? You needed me to admit it so you used poor Sakura. Fuck you. That's terrible." Ino spits and looks up at him through tear filled eyes. "Well you know what? I'm the fucking snitch. I'm the one you want. Here I am. Shoot me. I deserve it."

Shikamaru shakily raises a cigarette to his lips. Shoot him too, shoot him dead. He has nothing left.

-:- -:- -:-

**A.N: I was actually considering doing a spin off about Ino after this. It would be before Hinata comes and then after this fic ends. Let me know if it sounds interesting, though. I'm not sure it was just a tiny idea.**

**Anyway I feel really depressed after this. I just wanna say that it was refreshing changing point of views. Shikamaru can be fun to write.**

**Making Ino the snitch was a really hard choice. I love her but it's just djhihdksfbd. Also if I do make a spin off her reasons will make for a good plot I think.**

**Hinata will be back next chapter probably crying also reasons for Ino's snitching and stuff yay.**

**Review. *_***


	33. thirty-two

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 32**

Hinata's breath gets caught in her throat.

She releases her tight, hysterics driven, hug from around the Pickett and falls onto her butt on the floor beside her. For a moment she forgets everything around her and just tries to assess the situation and sort out the mess in her head.

Ino is lying. She _must _be lying. This is all some sort of sick joke. Ino is not the snitch. Ino is her best friend, an honest, cheerful girl, who might just have a little gossiping problem. Ino is also best friends with Sakura and an amazing girlfriend to Shikamaru. Ino and everyone else in the gang are on good terms-more than good terms even! Everyone loves her...she loves everyone…Ino is lying.

Hinata continues to sit on the floor, her mouth open wide in disbelief. She can't move. She can't move, she can't hear, she can't breathe. She is deaf to the noise in the room, if there even is any. She is blind to the flurry of action happening; things being thrown, people getting up and sitting back down. Her fingers shake against the floor of the unit and suddenly she knows why Shikamaru smokes all those cigarettes. Why Ino drinks all that alcohol. Why Naruto and Kiba smoke all that weed. Why Sasuke is willing to try hard drugs.

Her eyes dampen and she feels tear after tear slide down her face to her chin. She doesn't believe it. It's not true. Ino is her bubbly, cheery-eyed best friend. She'll never be anything else. She's just Yamanaka Ino, her best friend. Not Yamanaka Ino, the traitor.

"Y-you're lying." Hinata whispers, more to herself than anyone else. It seems that everyone else has heard her though. She hadn't realized that the room was dead silent until she had spoken. Hinata's head stares around the room, waiting for someone to agree with her. Sakura is still sobbing, her head shaking from side to side. Neji and Tenten also shake their heads from across the room. Shikamaru has his eyes closed again and his are fingers rolling around another cigarette.

How can they give up on her so easily? Why is it so easy for them to accept the fact that Ino is the snitch? Why aren't they objecting, or screaming, or doing _something_? They accept it so easily, like they knew all along that Ino was behind all the lost dollars and injuries and possibly mental trauma. Is Hinata the only one who has faith in her?

"_I'm the fucking snitch. I'm the one you want. Here I am. Shoot me. I deserve it." _ The words echo through Hinata's head, sending shivers down her spine. Her nails dig into the carpet before she furiously wipes the tears away. It doesn't make sense. Ino wouldn't do that.

Hinata thinks back to when she first met the girl She remembers them going to the club and Ino saying _"__Oh I know the bouncer. A friend of my cousin. Technically…I'm not supposed to even go to that club…but that's another story." _After Hinata had asked how she had gotten in. It makes more sense that she had had a meeting with the Akatsuki. Hinata's stomach turns and she thinks about all the times Ino has suddenly disappeared for days or how she had had all that ecstasy when no one else seemed to be able to get it. On top of all that, Ino had never been in a 'Set up' situation…because she had set them up herself.

Hinata feels like she's going to vomit.

The Hyuga stands on wobbly feet, knowing the whole room is watching her. She marches over to Ino and forces herself to look the blonde in her eyes without wavering. Hinata grabs Ino's hand between them and lets one word roll of her tongue, knowing that it's the last thing she'll say to the girl. "Why?"

Ino holds herself together so well, it would be hard not to be impressed. She stands an inch taller than the Hyuga, and a whole lot more confident. Her eyes are watery but she hasn't allowed any to tears fall. She still looks perfect, with not a hair out of place. Her face is perfectly composed, except for her eyes, which are dark and cloudy with an ocean of guilt. Her hands shake when Hinata touches them, her face crumbles when Hinata looks her in the eye again.

For a moment Ino gapes at her like a fish out of water, the tears in her eyes threaten to fall. Hinata continues to stare until she feels herself being pulled into a hug by the girl she's called her friend for such a long time. Ino rests her forehead on Hinata's shoulders for a moment, muttering, "I'm not lying. I'm a terrible person."

Hinata shakes her head and tightens her grip; her nose is buried in blonde hair, her fingers tightening around Ino's T-shirt. Her eyes cloud in confusion, "But _w-why?_ I-I'm sure it can all be fixed-"

Hinata is pulled away roughly by the back of her shirt. She stumbles backwards until someone places a hand on her shoulder to steady her. The Hyuga blinks up angrily at her captor and the Uchiha glares back, eyes dark and unreadable. She shakes her shoulder out of his grip and opens her mouth to protest but he only raises a hand to silence her.

"Ino is a traitor now. Nobody touch her."

"But-" Sakura finally protests, standing on her feet but not coming any closer to Sasuke. She refuses to look him in the eye after the accusation, Hinata can't blame her.

"We don't owe her anything. Not even sympathy." Sasuke aims the last part at Hinata who ignores him and tries to go to the Yamanaka girl again. Sasuke grips her shoulder and yanks her down so hard she falls and lands on her butt. He glares down at her but his eyes soften the slightest at her distress, "Hyuga stay out of this." His lips twitch and his mouth tightens around the next word, "Please."

"-At least let her explain herself." A voice breaks off near the door. It sounds heavy and defeated and Hinata knows Shikamaru just wants to break down. "Troublesome woman. Why did you have to use me?"

There's a moment of silence before, "What?" Ino stares open-mouthed at the Nara, "I didn't _use_ you, Shika! That was _real! _You don't understand, I-"

"Fine." Shikamaru crushes his last cigarette under his shoe and stands to his full height, no slouching, and no leaning over. His back his straight and tall. "Explain it, then."

Hinata stands again to look over to Shikamaru. His face is wiped clear of emotion but his eyes remain hard. Hinata glances at Sasuke from the corner of her eye but can't quite catch much of his expression.

"It started...two years ago." Ino begins slowly, like it will help her get the words out. "My father bought drugs from the Akatsuki without me knowing. As the year went on, the more debt he had gotten himself into. We...we couldn't pay it back." Ino stumbles over her words. Hinata doesn't think that she's ever seen the girl nervous before.

"Why didn't you just come to us?" Neji asks from across the room, Hinata feels defeated, as his voice is just as hard and unforgiving as the others'.

"I-it was too late! I didn't know about it until around this year. By that point we were too far deep in debt. My dad had already been cooperating with the Akatsuki about paying the money back and he let it slip that he had a daughter-me." Ino's eyes flutter closed, "And they knew me. And they knew I was with The Leaf so I was done for."

"I don't understand. We could've helped you." Shikamaru drawls, he smashes his lips together, his fingers itching for another cigarette. His girlfriend is a traitor and he's out of Reds. His life sucks.

"Their leader threatened you! He threatened all of you and my family I didn't know what to do! I was trapped. And I was scared...and their leader convinced me that he'd let my family go if I gave him the slightest bit of information." She takes a deep breath and shudders. "I thought it was over until...your brother appeared." Ino glances Sasuke's way before looking away. She takes a shuddering breath and feels the first drop of water hit her cheeks.

"Itachi." Sasuke hisses causing Hinata to shiver beside him. "You've been working with him?"

Ino nods slowly, "He's the one who told them I knew more than I was letting on, that I was lying. I was so scared...I lied. I told him that I was in love Sasuke-like when we were younger-and wanted to get you away from Sakura. I told them I was willing to tell them more in order to get Sasuke for myself...away from The Leaf." Ino takes a shuddering breath, "It was so stupid and hardly made sense, but it worked because-because, Itachi had been-_-is _planning on getting Sasuke out of this gang to join him instead. Itachi _knew_ I was lying. He had to. But I was already stuck." Ino rushes through her sentences and starts again, "I wanted to warn you but-but there was no way I could-"

She breaks off when Sasuke's hands ball into fists. Hinata just wishes that she could calm him down while simultaneously decreasing her heart rate. The information is new though, something will have to be done about Itachi.

"As the year progressed, their leader got suspicious of my involvement again, and I was too far deep to come back here for help so I just did whatever they told began demanding more and more information. The more I gave the less the price hanging over my family's head was...but the more involved I got." Her shoulders hunch and she rubs her hands up and down her arms, tiny tears running out of the corners of her eyes.

Hinata meets her eyes but she looks away. A feeling of dread washes through her as she realizes what this means. She could've _died_ because of Ino. She was _kidnapped_ because of Ino. And maybe, just maybe, she had been _rescued_ because of Ino. After all, she'd been there with Deidara when Hinata got out.

All over something that The Leaf could've handled themselves. One small mistake can change everything.

Ino squeezes her eyes shut tight and when she opens them again, they're resolved and sobering. "I'm sorry." Her eyes fly away to glance at Shikamaru for a moment before returning to Sasuke. "I know what's going to happen now. I deserve it."

"No." Sasuke shakes his head slowly, a smirk appearing on his face. "No. I won't kill you."

The whole room holds its breath. Shikamaru stares at Sasuke, his eyes sending a warning to him across the room. Ino may be a traitor, but he still cares about her. He refuses to let Sasuke do anything cruel to her.

"You aren't trustworthy anymore, but you can do one thing for me. Let me know when Itachi is planning something. I'll be sure to stop him."

Hinata's eyes widen as she turns to Sasuke. He's letting her go? She feels relief wash through her in waves. Ino may be the snitch, but Hinata doesn't want her to die

Sasuke smirks at her from next to her, amused at her shock. Hinata feels warmth wash in after all the relief, but wills it away. She's supposed to be angry at Sasuke. Blush coats her cheeks but she knows that now is not the time to be charmed by him.

Ino states wide-eyed at the Uchiha, who is hardly paying attention to her anymore. She titters near the door, sparing a fleeting glance at Hinata and Shikamaru.

"What are you waiting for?" Sasuke grunts to her harshly, "You can leave. We'll be in touch."

Ino closes her eyes and nods, "Y-yeah. Okay."

Hinata watches her crumble and then disappear, only leaving her scent behind.

Hinata shakes her head and leans against the couch on the floor. It's over. Her face feels like its falling, and suddenly she's trying to breathe underwater. She pulls her knees to her chest and sobs into them. The indigo haired girl forgets everyone around her for a moment and collapses into herself. She remembers all of the stuff she and Ino have been through together...how the blonde has helped Hinata become who she is now.

She's lost her best friend today.

Or maybe, she never had her.

-:- -:- -:-

Sasuke yanks the gear into drive so hard, he's almost scared the knob will come off. He glares at the stop sign coming up ahead, trying to rid the images of a sobbing Hinata from his brain.

He doesn't exactly know why _that_ set of images has been imprinted in his thoughts, but it only manages to make him angrier. At least now that he knows who the snitch is, his life will be a tad less stressful. And everything went as planned-sort of. He hadn't actually planned on letting Ino go, but then again, he wasn't very fond of the thought of the thought of killing her. After all, they'd been friends for a while, and he had come to trust her.

It only makes him angrier that the entire situation could have been avoided. If she had just come to him for help-if she had just kept her mouth shut, she and her family would've been fine. Another part of him knows that it would be unavoidable with Ino. She's too impulsive and the Akatsuki are good manipulators. Sasuke can admit that it was lucky for them that Ino's father had decided to trade with them. If the situation had reversed, say with a member of Akatsuki's parents owing him, he'd do the same thing.

It probably wouldn't work though. The Akatsuki are less than human. They don't care about things like families, or trust, or love. That's why they're strong. That's why The Leaf has to stop them. The more neighborhoods they take, the more they terrorize the citizens. It's becoming crazy, with their leader taking monthly payments from families just to offer them protection from themselves.

Sasuke's just glad Ino didn't do it for power. She's lucky her reason was by her own mistake-that doesn't make the situation any better, it just means she hadn't done it because she hates them-if it had been for anything else, Sasuke would have surely killed her.

That brings him to Itachi. His brother. The thing with Itachi is, he doesn't want Sasuke dead, he just wants The Leaf out of the way. The Akatsuki will help him do that...but once his goal is reached...what will he do with the Akatsuki? According to Ino, Itachi just wants power, and he wants his little brother right there with him.

Sasuke's fingers tighten on the steering wheel. He always knew the guy was crazy. He plans on dealing with the asshole himself.

"-Sasuke what the hell are you doing?!"

Sasuke blinks and looks back at the road. He's driving thirty miles over the speed limit and is heading straight toward cement wall of an oncoming viaduct. He straightens the wheel last second, cursing himself for not paying attention. It's not like him.

"You okay man?" Naruto questions. He sits in the passenger seat, staring at the passing buildings.

Sasuke glares through the windshield, "I'm fine." Just a little distracted. "Don't worry about me. Just think about what you're going to say to Tsunade."

Sasuke pulls his car into a parking spot a block away from Tsunade's gleaming business. Now that they know who the snitch is, everything is more real, and if The Leaf wants outside help, they'll have to talk to her about it.

They enter the building lobby and are escorted up several floors until they reach Tsunade's office. It's large and bright, with the spring sunset gleaming through tall windows covering three walls of the room. Sasuke remembers taking Hinata with him on his first trip here and her being mesmerized by the windows.

He had thought it was silly. He hasn't had time to step up and really _look._ He had other, more important things on his mind at the moment and couldn't be bothered. But when he steps up to the clear windows, and looks down at the glorious view, he realizes that sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy things.

It could all disappear in a matter of seconds.

He slips a cigarette out of his pocket and lights it. His eyes flutter across the sky watching the colors change from blue to red. The city lights on fire, igniting glass buildings one by one, until stopping where the buildings do, near the west side. It doesn't matter though; everything is always on fire there. The attitudes, the tempers, the fights.

His eyes glance past other buildings. They narrow at Hyuga's and widen at the former Uchiha building. He remembers it well, but has never paid much attention to it.. It stands slightly shorter than Hyuga's, but is all the more intimidating. It's made of staggering black metal, crisscrossed to make for windows and excellent architecture. The windows of this building glow red too, hurting Sasuke's eyes, but he can't look away.

"Who told you to smoke that cancer stick in here, Uchiha?" The busty woman storms in with her assistant trailing quickly behind her with a humungous stack of paper. The business woman sits down at her desk with a flourish and Shizune hurries to pour a glass of Sake after dumping the pile on top of polished wood.

Sasuke represses his frown and puts his cigarette out on the sleek piece of metal running along the windows. He drops the remainder of it into a potted plant next to him. It's rude, he knows, but he's angry and he's annoyed and he doesn't care anymore.

Tsunade rolls her eyes at his show of childishness. She turns her eyes to the other member, Naruto, who's sitting with his head down, his hands folded between his legs. She's surprised, as the blonde is usually loud and annoying. "So what do you two want? I have more important things to do."

"We want war." Naruto says. Sasuke squares his shoulders. He continues to stare out the window as Naruto tells Tsunade about Ino. He's sure that since Ino has admitted to being a traitor, Tsunade will agree with his need to fight.

He's so sure, in fact, that when Tsunade raises her eyebrows when Naruto finishes, it's to tell them they can start the war plans immediately. Instead, however, the busty business woman opens her mouth to release a deep chuckle.

Sasuke is too shocked to be angry. He finally turns away from the window to stare at her. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wishes Shikamaru was here to help negotiate all this. The guy is too cut up over Ino to do much at the moment and Sasuke can't blame him.

"You want to start a war because your girl is a traitor?" Tsunade shakes her head and downs the glass of Sake. Shizune quickly fills the glass, casting worries glances at the two boys. "You're kidding right?"

"No. We're not." Sasuke states, angry now. Finally angry. Angry again. He's angry too much lately. His voice is like steel. "The Akatsuki have been the cause of numerous lost dollars and wounded men. We're ready to end this."

Tsunade still seems amused, she waves her hand, "Fine fine. Whatever you want." Her light brown eyes flicker towards the door, "What do you want from me?"

Sasuke's blood boils. Is she not going to follow through with the alliance? She's supposed to help-lend them men and weapons. They've been selling her dope and protecting her clubs for months and she's not going to do anything for him? Sasuke's hands twitch at his waist and two men in black suits enter the office, reacting to his movement.

"Please hand over your weapons." The one with the mask says, one visible eye crinkling happily.

Sasuke glares at him irritated, "Hell no, Kakashi."

Tsunade waves her hands again, swirling the cup of Sake around in circles in one hand. "Calm down. I was just messing with the boy." Her eyes narrow on Sasuke. "Really, Uchiha, what can I get you?"

"Weapons. Men. We don't want a lot of police involvement." Sasuke says, looking at Kakashi and Asuma from the corner of his eye. "The Akatsuki will have men to help them, we need our own."

"Weapons I can give you. Men? I refuse." Tsunade says plainly. "You're going about this too quickly. You're not in dire need of an altercation until-"

"Until what?!" Naruto speaks up suddenly, his voice higher pitched than normal. "Until someone dies? We can't take them out until one of them kills us? Until half of us are gone?"

"Well yes." Tsunade pinches the bridge of her nose and downs another cup of Sake. Shizune pours another cup and looks nervously at the two boys again. "Your situation is small and avoidable. If you really want to kill yourselves, go ahead, but you won't be taking my men with you."

"We need back up!" Naruto hollers back, his voice shaking the bottle of Sake on the edge of the desk. "Do you want us to die? Do you even want to help us? Do you even know what we're up against?"

Tsunade stands and slams both hands on the table. The bottle of Sake wobbles before crashing to the floor and breaking into a million pieces. The liquid pools out onto Shizune's shoes and she rushes out the room to get another bottle. "You will not receive any of my men! Do you understand that?"

Naruto opens his mouth to protest but Sasuke steps up and places a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Yeah. We understand." Sasuke mutters, eyes dark and angry.

"Good. We'll deliver your weapons in two weeks or less. We'll be in touch."

-:- -:- -:-

Deidara counts pack after pack of C2 explosive and loads them onto a shelf in the weapon room. Hiashi is a little too generous with the stuff, it's almost creepy, but Deidara can't complain. He can't wait to blow something up...he hasn't lately with his new studio and all...

The thought brings his mind to Hinata. He hasn't heard from her in a while (which was actually like, three days.) His stomach does back flips every time he thinks about her...which is annoying. He doesn't want to be mushy about the whole 'love' situation but that's how it feels! It bothers him in the back of his mind that she doesn't love him back, and even more so when he thinks about how much time she must spend around the Uchiha and not him.

"Tch." Deidara throws the last bunch of C2 on the shelf and moves to the smaller box of C3. He really needs to go kill someone or something. His thoughts are too mushy and annoying for his liking. Having a girl he actually cares about is new for him; he doesn't know how to feel. He pictures her large doe eyes and long indigo hair; she's too innocent and good to be here on the west side of Konoha, trying to stay alive. He wonders how different it could be if she had stayed with her father, she and him probably could be together easily, with no problems and no Sasuke. They wouldn't have to hide or wait to see each other. It could be so easy.

But it's not. Deidara has to remember that he's saved her from that father who had tried to _kill_ her. Nothing is ever easy.

"Still doing inventory?" An amused voice calls out. Deidara barely turns to acknowledge Sasori. The blonde got stuck doing inventory of all the weapons when he and Hidan got caught brawling in the 'living room' of their base. They broke two glass tables and put a couple holes through the walls, no big deal. Leader gave Deidara weapon inventory and Hidan got to clean the bathrooms and then some. Nothing too bad, Leader has never been creative with his punishments.

"What does it look like, un?" Deidara grunts back. He moves to the other side of the room to go through the thousands of guns the Akatsuki has. What a pain in the ass.

"'Shouldn't have been trying to kick Hidan's ass so bad." Sasori drawls. He stares at his best friend-if that's what you want to call him-who's been withdrawing himself more and more as the days go by. He wonders if it's Hyuga's fault. He knew she was bad news. "Anyway, Leader wants you."

Deidara frowns and drops the gun he'd been holding onto the table. "What does he want, yeah?" He feels his stomach fill with nervous energy and wonders what that's all about. He has never been nervous when Leader has called him before.

"Go find out." Sasori responds lazily, "Don't do anything stupid, though."

Deidara moves out the room and down the dusty halls of the Akatsuki base. It's never been his favorite place. He avoids it as much as he can.

He slips into Leader's office, watching Konan eye him like a piece of trash. She's been looking at him like that since the whole Hinata-daddy thing months ago. He shrugs and turns to Leader, his eyes widen in shock as he looks at who's next to him.

Ino smiles painfully next to the red-haired Leader. Her smile is tight and her eyes are now lifeless and dark. He can tell she wants to disappear, but Leader's hand is clamped down on her shoulder. Her voice is hoarse when she says, "Hi Deidara."

Deidara turns to his cousin, confused. She's with The Leaf...why is she here? Why is Leader's hand on her shoulder and why does she look half dead? Deidara turns to Konan and she just shakes her head.

"Deidara, you of course already know your cousin..." Leader mutters, "But you don't know her as The Leaf's traitor and our helpful little mouse."

"What?" Deidara's mouth feels dry all of a sudden. His eyes turn towards his shaking cousin trying to separate anger and confusion. He feels a rush of anger towards her, toppled with disbelief. She wouldn't do that. She wouldn't do that to _Hinata. _Deidara thinks back to Hinata's kidnapping, remembering when he said he would kill the person who had set her up. He feels anger welling up in his stomach and climbing into his heart.

It's extinguished with confusion and apprehension as soon as it had appeared. Because Ino wouldn't do that...would she? Deidara looks his cousin in the eye and shakes his head. No, she looks too broken...too scared. She didn't rat on The Leaf on purpose. Not for power at least.

Deidara feels anger again, like an endless cycle. The Akatsuki is at it again, ruining more lives and more people like they've ruined his. The tattoo burns on his chest like it knows he's thinking treacherous thoughts. Deidara closes his eyes and opens them to look Leader in the eye, the blue swirling with calm. He is calm now.

Leader's lips tug into a smirk, "Good. We're all caught up. Well, Deidara…Itachi and Ino tell me some things about you..."

Deidara's face snaps to Ino's. He can feel his blood rushing in his veins and his heart rate pick up. She wouldn't...

"We have reason to believe you're not as trustworthy as you seem." The words are spoken slowly, with such ease and lightness, like he is talking about the weather.

She wouldn't. Would she?

"What's that, un?" Deidara asks, surprised that his voice comes out cool when his whole body feels so hot. He grinds his teeth together and ties his hair back.

"Nothing too drastic." Leader's eyes shine with amusement. "Something minor. But still, you know how these things go."

Deidara's jaw tenses. He doesn't. He chances a glance at Ino and sees her holding back tears. He's not sure what her deal is.

"We just have a mission for you. That's all. Ino, why don't you tell him what it is?"

Ino stills, her body stiffens out and now the tears are sliding down her cheeks in waterfalls. Her hands shake as they wrap around herself, she shakes her head, "W-We- We need you to k-kill a certain Hyuga." Snot and water drip down her face and she continues to shake her head. Leader pats her head like you would a dog.

Leader smiles but his eyes glint with something sadistic, "You'll do it if you want to continue living."

Deidara can't move. He can't breathe. He can't _breathe._ Oh God, he can't breathe. He's finally realized that sometimes you don't need water to drown.

**An. Whoa really long chapter filled with stuff. This is ten pages long o.o**

**I found the Ino bit particularly hard to write. I kept going back trying to add details and things but ehh.**

**Still considering the Ino spin-off.**

**Anyway review!**


	34. thirty-three

**Common Delinquents  
Chapter 33**

Hinata shrugs a long-sleeved shirt over her head and quickly buckles her skinny jeans over her waist. She's a girl on a mission-a mission that was supposed to have happened several hours ago (She overslept)-and an important one.

Okay, it's not _that_ important, but it's still a mission. Her own personal mission. She'd wanted to leave in the morning but she had ended up sleeping until 12 p.m. Great.

She throws her hair into a ponytail and briefly glances into the mirror at her appearance. There are bags under her eyes, but otherwise, she looks content. Like nothing happened.

She's been losing sleep over Ino…feeling _terrible_ because of Ino.

Hinata shakes her head; she doesn't want to think about that right now. Right now she's going to see him. She needs to make sure he's okay. The last time they saw each other, he was freaking out his own gang.

Still, Hinata smiles when she thinks about what had happened that day.

The Hyuga creeps past Hanabi's room, making sure she doesn't alert the younger girl of her absence. Hanabi can be too nosy for her own good and right now, Hinata doesn't want to answer her questions.

She steps outside and cringes from the sudden cold. It's late spring but the weather in Konoha is inconsistent and annoying. She decides against going in to grab another sweater and starts her trek towards Deidara's new studio. She guesses that she should call it her own studio; they are sharing it after all.

The thought brings a smile to her face.

She rounds the corner, trying to remember the way she and Deidara had gone a week ago. It's in a forgotten, unclaimed neighborhood near to both of theirs...rather in the very middle of both of their separate turfs. It's likes...Switzerland, she muses, a safe haven.

Finally she reaches the door beside the clock repair store and welcomes the gust of warm air as she enters. She feels safe as she enters, like the enclosed space and long flight of stairs protects her from gangs and violence. She smiles as the wooden stairs creak and moan under her feet as if welcoming her, she could get used to this.

If she hadn't been so worried about Deidara, she would've definitely stopped to pick up an old book or two or grab a coffee...but she figures that can wait until another day...after all, they have plenty of time, don't they? At least that's what Hinata hopes.

Still, she brushes her fingers across the spines of the books as she passes. The cashier blinks at her lazily as she passes and she can't but pause at the coffee shop as the smell of blueberry muffins assaults her senses.

Still, her worry for the blonde man keeps her moving. She finally turns down the end halfway and finds the door to his-their studio with wary smile. She takes the key out of her pocket-the one Deidara had given her-and opens the door.

It's dark inside and Hinata goes to pout. Her heart sinks a little. Stupid! She never thought that he might not actually _be_ there. She was just banking on the fact that Deidara would want to be there all the time but, of course, that wouldn't be true! She feels defeated as she runs her hands along the wall, trying to find the light switch in the dark, her feet bump into something large on the ground.

She stumbles but can't seem to find the light switch. Finally, after what seems like years of searching, she finds it on the other side of the door. The small windows and beams of light emitting from them did nothing to aid her in her search.

Hinata sighs from contentment as the florescent lights from the ceiling assault her eyes. At least she can see what she's been tripping on now. The sigh quickly turns into a gasp as she stares around the room in surprise. She puts both hands in front of her mouth as she backs up against the door.

The studio is in ruins. The concrete part of the floor is coated with spilled paint and blocks of clay. One of the tables lays on its side and a couple broken chairs rest against the far wall. Hinata glances down at her feet where a broken sculpture lays in pieces against the floor. She feels her mouth go dry. So much for a safe haven.

Just who would do this?

She presses her back against the door and tries to calm her breathing. Did Deidara's gang find his place? Is he okay? Questions swirl around Hinata's head and suddenly she feels like she should've brought a gun with her.

What if they're still here?

Hinata blinks around the studio. She kneels close to the concrete and picks up one of the sculptures that isn't ruined. It's a sculpture of a small bird, about the size of her fist, half painted and hardened by the kennel. She turns it on its side, surprised to find it painted pale blue with her name on it. Despite the situation, she smiles and places it on the table that isn't overturned.

Her heart thuds heavily in her chest as she pads over to the hard-wooded area. The light directly above this small corner has gone out and she moves cautiously to the couch.

And then she sees him and everything goes right-or at least, everything is a little bit better. Hinata blinks a couple times, "D-Deidara?"

When he doesn't respond she realizes that he's sleeping. From the light across the room, she can make out a few of his features. There are hard lines across his face and he looks angry, even in his sleep. His hair is in a ponytail at the back of his head so it doesn't bother him and his feet dangle off the edge of the couch.

Hinata reaches to smooth the hard lines of his face, her voice dropping to a whisper, "Did you do this?"

Hinata feels herself frown as she looks to the damage Deidara seems to have caused. The Hyuga shakes her head, wondering what would make the blonde angry enough to destroy his own sanctuary.

Hinata drops her bag on the ground next to the couch and decides to clean the place up. After all, it's _her_ studio too-as Deidara had liked to remind her-and he's destroyed it before she could even actually _use_ it.

Hinata quickly leaves to order two coffees and a muffin-she's going to need it-before returning to the task at hand. She gets to work quietly; turning tables back over and scraping paint off the floor. God, this is so trying, but Hinata figures it'll be worth it. She would've woken up Deidara to make him help but he looks so spent that she decides to leave him alone.

After an hour of work, the studio finally looks almost back to normal. She can't believe she's spent that long cleaning up Deidara's mess. She looks at the clean tables and floors and shakes her head, the last thing she wants to do right now is art.

She moves over to the couch, noticing that Deidara takes up the whole thing and, annoyingly enough, is still sleeping. She still feels annoyed when Deidara opens his eyes and blinks confusedly at her, his expression becoming alarmed and then amused in the same second. "Hinata?"

She just blinks back at him and shoves a coffee cup at him, "I brought you coffee."

He takes it gratefully and lets the lukewarm liquid run down his throat. He lies back against the couch, "Thanks, un." He blinks at her, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Y-You!" Is all Hinata manages to sputter. She feels a weird mix of anger and adoration, as a drowsy Deidara is a cute one. "You destroyed your-_our_ studio!"

Deidara's eyelids droop and he grimaces with contempt, "Oh yeah. I did, un." He scratches the back of his head, moving his hair out of his ponytail, and downs the rest of the coffee. "I guess I'll have to clean it up later, yeah."

Hinata shakes her head and settles herself on the floor, as he's taking up the couch. "I already did." She mutters, "It took like, an hour."

Deidara has the nerve to look surprised, he stares at her with wide eyes, as if he's just waking up fully, "You...you didn't have to do that, un."

"I know." Hinata shrugs, a yawn exiting her mouth. "But it's okay."

"Mm." Deidara agrees, he reaches forward and pulls the small girl off the ground and onto the couch with him. She squeaks and blushes bright red as Deidara nuzzles his face into her neck, "And what are you doing on the floor anyway, un? You should've just laid on top of me, I wouldn't have cared."

"I-I'm sure you wouldn't of." She mutters back. She allows him to kiss her thought. He taste like coffee and the smell of alcohol lingers on his hoodie. That just causes her to worry again; she leans against his chest and looks up at him, "Are you okay? Why did you do this?"

"I was angry."

The answer frustrates her. It reminds her of Sasuke-doing things just because he _can_. "That doesn't mean you go and destroy things." She scolds as much as she can without pausing because his eyes are making her to want to kiss him. "What made you that angry?"

His eyes turn on her, glinting with something dark and sad, he kisses her forehead and then her cheek, "It doesn't matter, un. Just Akatsuki stuff."

"Akatsuki stuff." She repeats. "What-"

"I saw Ino, you know." He changes the subject swiftly, his eyes even darker than earlier. His fingers squeeze her waist when she stiffens against his back. "She was really like-I don't know-different, un. Like a completely different person."

"You'll watch out for her, right?" Hinata manages to mutter. Even if Ino is the snitch, the girl was her best friend. And it's not like Hinata is any better than her as she's snuggled up with a rival gang member.

"Yeah, of course, un." He grins at her but his eyes are missing a certain spark, "No problem."

Hinata notices it and presses on, "But w-what made you angry? What did the Akatsuki do this time?"

Deidara just shakes his head and lays back, grabbing her wrists and pulling her down on top of him. "Tell you what," He says with a smile as she blushes, "We take a nap, and then when we wake up, I tell you everything, un."

"Sounds like a plan," The Hyuga agrees slowly. She grins when Deidara kisses her again and she allows herself to lay her head against his chest. She lets her eyes flutter shut and feels her worries wash away as Deidara's arm tightens around her waist.

-:- -:- -:-

Hinata wakes up with no arm around her waist and no chest to lean on. Instead, there's a large navy blue hoodie laying over her with the Akatsuki symbol sewn into the corner of the sleeve. Hinata blinks, looking around the room in surprise.

_He left?_

Hinata feels her heart drop into her stomach. He really actually _left._ And he lied! She stands swiftly and fumbles with the sweater, debating on whether or not she should put it on.

She slips it over her head with a grimace as she looks for a note or _something_. Deidara wouldn't just leave...would he?

And what was with his 'angry' moment. What in Kami's name made him angry enough to destroy his own studio? And why won't he tell her?

Hinata shakes her head, her fingers shaking. All she knows is that the look in his eye was one of fear.

Still, her stomach fills with hurt and her eyes water. He just _left_. Just like that. He's gone.

-:- -:- -:-

"Where have you been?" Hanabi says from their living room, watching as her sister moves towards her room.

"Needed more cigarettes," She mumbles back. Hinata takes out the pack and waves them at her sister, not even flinching at the half-lie she's just told.

"It took you an hour?" Hanabi presses, eyes narrowing. She sits up against the couch and closes her book.

"There was a long line," Hinata continues unflinchingly. Her eyes flicker to her mother sitting on the couch, "Hey Okaasan."

Hanabi narrows her eyes, she stands, hair moving silkily around her head like a curtain of brown, "Listen...if you're still upset about Ino-"

"-This...isn't about Ino." Hinata bites back as much as she can. The sleeves of Deidara's hoodie slide over her shaking fingers. This is about a lot of things. Ino just happens to come in second place.

"Whatever Hinata." Hanabi says, her voice dripping with contempt. "Look, I know you and Ino were friends but you don't need to do this to yourself. It's not worth it. In a while everything will go back to normal and things will be fine."

Hinata blinks, her body filling with heat. Fire rushes to her cheeks and her ears before entering her mouth. She's spitting fire as she talks. "Shut _up_. Hanabi. You don't know anything, okay?" Her eyes burn and the fire spreads. "This isn't some _small_ thing, okay? This is hell. I feel like shit. I want to die." Hinata shakes her head from side to side; her fingers crush the box of cigarettes in her pockets, "No. I want _them_ to die. How fucked is that? I've never wished anyone dead in my life, okay Hanabi? Okay? Everything will _not_ be fine."

Hanabi's eyes harden. She shoves her book down on the couch and grabs her older sister's arm. Hinata is pulled to the couch and is seated next to her mother, passed out. She hadn't noticed before. She smells like alcohol.

Hanabi's mouth straightens into a thin line, "Do you want to end up like her?" She points, disinterested, towards their mother. Hinata grimaces and rubs her eyes.

"'Didn't think so." Hanabi continues as if Hinata had answered her. "So stop pitying yourself. You're not the only one hurt by this. Nara's five times worse than you and he still manages to behave like a human being capable of making logical decisions." She crosses her arms, "You think I haven't been betrayed? Hello? Our father tried to _kill_ us. If you don't think that that's something to be depressed about then you have more issues than I thought."

Hinata feels tiny against Hanabi's large glare. She can't believe she's being lectured about this.

Hanabi unfolds her arms and walks back to her spot across the room. She opens her book and says, "I swear if you get whiny one more time I'll kick your ass."

Hinata's eye twitches at the threat and she feels annoyance replace the anger she's been feeling seconds before. She raises the hoodie above her nose and sighs heavily.

"Sorry I'm late." Neji and Tenten enter the room carrying bags of ramen. "I had to get the ramen later than I expected. I had a meeting with Naruto and Sasuke and you know you can't bring the stuff around him."

Hanabi nods and takes the bags from him.

Hinata stands and hugs Tenten and then her cousin. He smiles down at her and leans down to kiss her cheek. Hinata is sure that the affection is of Tenten's influence. The girl has manages to warm the Hyuga's heart a little more. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Hanabi wanted Neji to teach her some street fighting. She says she needs to 'broaden her horizon on the different styles of fighting.'" Tenten explains, giggling as Neji moves his slumbering aunt into the bedroom.

"But-but, there's no room..." Hinata's protest goes unheard as the couches began to get moved to the sides of the room by Tenten and Hanabi. She blinks and says, "Okaaay, but isn't there like a training area at the HQ?"

"Yeah," Tenten laughs, "But Lee is always there, and he'd just get involved and bother us. Besides, I'm 90 percent sure Hanabi hates the place."

"You are correct," Hanabi agrees, she moves the last couch the far corner. "C'mon Neji."

Neji nods and walks into the middle of the room with Hanabi, slowly explain that street fighting was purely based on instinct. There are no set forms or positions besides the basics.

Hinata wonders into the kitchen and opens a box of ramen, she slips a few noodles into her mouth and Tenten sits across from her at the table.

"I know we haven't been the closest of friends, but if you ever need anyone to talk about-with the Ino and thing and all- you can always come to me."

Hinata's eyes cut to Tenten's warm brown ones. Hinata slurps up the noodles hanging out of her mouth and smiles a little, "Thank you." She says, "It means a lot."

Tenten just smiles and reaches for her own box of ramen. "So...whose hoodie is that? The smell of cologne reeks on that thing..." Tenten wiggles her eyebrows.

"O-oh, um..." Hinata's cheeks tingle. She can't exactly tell Tenten now can she? She could have told Ino though...

Tenten waves her hand, "I'm just kidding! You don't have to tell me. 'Could just be Neji's for all I know."

Hinata nods slowly, grasping the sleeves of the hoodie again. "Um. S-so how are you and Neji going then?" She asks awkwardly.

Tenten's eyes sparkle, "We're good. It took a while to break through that piece of ice you call his heart, but I finally got through it. I think your presence helped, Hinata."

Hinata smiles and shakes her head, "No. I didn't do anything. It was all you."

"Yeah, yeah." Tenten moves to one of the couches pushed against the wall and gestures for Hinata to follow. "I doubt it, though."

Hinata sits next to her, trying to focus on the fight in front of her. A right hook here an uppercut there…Neji's voice fades from her mind and her thoughts resurface. Hanabi's lecture just reminds her of the one Ino had given her so long ago. Since it reminds her of Ino it makes her feel bad, and since what Hanabi said was true, it makes her feel worse.

Hinata stands and tells Neji and Hanabi that she's going to sit outside. Hanabi glares at her a little, but Hinata ignores her. She's allowed at least one day of self-pity, isn't she? She sits against the stairs in front of her house and looks at the pinkened sky.

Her fingers shake when she brings the cigarette to her lips. They tremble against the little stick so she presses more firmly. She presses her palms flat against the cement blocks and holds herself there, feeling the spring cold shake her bones.

Deidara's hoodie hangs loosely around her and it's the closest she seems to be able to get to him. She can't believe she's wearing it. It's the Akatsuki that has taken her best friend from her. It is the Akatsuki that threaten everything she knows, and she wears their symbol on the sleeve of her hoodie.

But this hoodie is Deidara's. And it smells like him. It smells like clay and cigarette smoke and Axe cologne. It's a weird combination of scents but it smells wonderful to her. She can picture him, blonde hair blue eyes alight, and her heart flutters.

Hinata blows smoke from her nose-she can't believe smoking is no longer foreign to her-and closes her eyes. She brings the front of the hoodie to her nose and breathes him in. His scent does nothing to ease her worry. Her stomach is a coiled tight and full of nerves. She feels nauseous. Something must be wrong.

The look in his eyes-oh God, the look in his eyes, it was like someone died. It was like _he_ had died. Hinata squeezes her eyes shut, tightening her fingers around the piece of navy blue material.

Hinata sighs and looks at the houses on her block. They're small and dingy, like hers. Some lean to the left and some sink into the ground. Her eyes trace the cars parked in driveways before stopping on one moving car. It stops in front of her house and a tall figure steps out.

Hinata closes her eyes and buries her head into the sleeves of her hoodie. She doesn't want to see him. It's always a terrible day when she has to deal with _both_ of them. She breathes in deeply, the little Akatsuki cloud patch scratches her lip.

She can feel him sit next to her on the stairs. He helps himself to a cigarette from her pack lying beside her-he doesn't ask, as usual.

"You've been with him today." He says casually.

Hinata peaks at him from behind her hand to see his face tilted towards the sky exposing his long neck to her. "Y-yeah." She mumbles, there's no point in denying it. Sasuke knows everything.

"Yeah." He repeats with a grimace. Hinata hides her face again, "You smell like him. It's gross."

Hinata almost smiles behind her hands, "I-I think he smells rather wonderful."

"You've always been weird Hyuga." Sasuke flicks the cigarettes. "You like weird things."

She doesn't know what possesses her to say this, but she grins behind the giant hoodie. "I like you."

"You like him." Sasuke says without missing a beat.

"He loves me," Hinata continues, feeling bashful and...stupid.

"I..." Sasuke trails off, uncertain.

"Exactly." She mumbles, turning her head to look somewhere else.

"We need to talk about this," Sasuke deadpans. His eyes bore into the side of her head.

Hinata stiffens and tries to hide behind her hair; she knows it's not working. She knows that she and Sasuke have to communicate or else nothing will be solved between them. They're in this weird love-hate relationship where every moment is filled with awkwardness. "Y-You're right."

She finally looks at him and finds Sasuke's obsidian gaze on her. She blushes and turns away. To distract herself she attempts to blow smoke rings and fails terribly.

Sasuke just shakes his head like he can't believe he's sitting next to her. Hinata's stomach churns for the 6th time that day.

It's going to be a long night.

**An. yay Dei and Sasu in the same chapter. I feel like this whole thing was very mentally stressful to write.**

**Poor Hinata I'd probably just lie on the floor 24/7 and cry if I were her. (And hopefully this fic doesn't make you do that either?)**

**Originally, this was way longer but I decided to cut it back. Sasuke and Deidara in the same chapter is like big punch in the face like whoa calm down too many feels. So I cut off half of Sasuke's part. It should fit into the next chapter quite easily anyway.**

**Reviewwwwwwwww~**


	35. thirty-four

**Common Delinquents**

**Chapter 34**

Hinata feels herself flinching under Sasuke's gaze and to distract herself she tries again to blow smoke rings. Sasuke's gaze is terrifying, just like him. It shakes up her insides in the most dangerous of ways and makes her smoke rings come out like wobbly semi-circles, trying to be round.

"Like this," Sasuke mutters, showing her. He takes a deep breath and then takes a drag. He then opens his mouth and produces four perfect smoke rings.

"Like this?" Hinata tries again; she fills her lungs with air and then takes a drag. She opens her mouth and releases more of the halfhearted circles, wavering in the air.

"Terrible." Sasuke states plainly. "Take a deep breath and hold the smoke in before making your mouth into an 'O'."

Hinata reaches for another cigarette and Sasuke shakes his head. "Try it without the smoke first."

Hinata frowns, "T-that's dumb." Sasuke just shrugs and looks at her. She lights another one and brings it to her lips after taking a deep breath. She holds it in her mouth for a few seconds and then-

And then Sasuke kisses her. And she kisses back without really knowing what's she's doing. The smokes pools out between their two faces and into their noses and lungs. Hinata can't help but giggle. They inhale and then they kiss just a little bit more.

Someone clears their throat from the doorway. Hinata breaks away from the Uchiha and turns towards a red looking Neji. She's almost sure that the red is more from anger than embarrassment.

She turns five shades of red and hides in the hoodie again.

Sasuke shifts away and turns to his friend, "'Sup Hyuga."

Neji's eye twitches at the greeting, "I-" He clears his throat, like he can't think of what to say, "You-"

"Neji get back here so I can kick your ass!" Hanabi calls him from inside the house with Tenten agreeing. Neji frowns.

Finally the other Hyuga huffs and turns towards the door. He sends a fleeting glare Sasuke's way before muttering, "I'll talk to you later."

"Cool." The Uchiha responds easily. Neji leaves and Sasuke turns back to Hinata. "C'mon, Hinata. We need to talk."

"Talk..." Hinata repeats. She know he's just mentioned it not five minutes before but still, the concept of having a simple 'talk' with Sasuke is dangerous.

"Yes." Sasuke stands on his feet and offers her a hand. "How humans communicate."

Hinata looks warily at his hand, remembering the last time he offered. He sends her an impatient glare, keeping his hand outstretched. Finally she takes it and he pulls her off the stairs and down the street.

Hinata feels Sasuke drop her hand awkwardly and she hovers beside him as he walks past her house. He doesn't speak until they're ten houses down and around the corner.

"You know I'm bad at this." Sasuke starts, a frown itching across his face.

"At what?"

"Apologizing." Sasuke frowns again.

"It's true. Y-you are." Hinata agrees, not bothering to return the Uchiha's glare. "Well? G-go ahead then."

"You're not making this any easier, Hinata."

"I'm just glad you're not calling me 'Hyuga' anymore."

Sasuke sighs loudly. "You're impossible and I'm sorry."

Hinata frowns at the halfhearted apology, she opens her mouth to respond but closes it when she realizes that Sasuke isn't finished yet.

"I'm sorry for everything I've said to you." He grunts out like it pains him, it probably does. "It's just that I get angry when I don't want to feel certain things."

Hinata blinks, her opaque eyes turn away for a moment, "You can't just take it out on me all the time."

Sasuke sends her an annoyed looks, "Okay fine, you're right." He looks at the road ahead of them and stares the flickering street lights above their heads, "_Anyway._ What I'm trying to say is, I've figured that feel something for you. Something different."

The Hyuga feels like a bucket of cold water has been dumped on top of her head. She blinks a couple times and her stomach is back to that grueling task of tying itself into knots, "Something...different?"

"Yes, Hinata, now stop repeating me." Sasuke says with this annoyed type of patience he always gets when around her, "Interpret 'something different' however you like, but it means that I will allow myself to kiss you whenever I want."

"Okay," Hinata mutters, she goes to fumble with her hoodie and then pauses as if she's just _really_ heard what Sasuke's said. "Wait..wha-"

He rolls his eyes at her, his expression screaming 'strained patience,' he grabs her shoulders and pulls her close to him, crashing his lips down on hers in one of the roughest kisses she's ever had. Sasuke breaks away and smirks down at her. He places a chaste kiss on her forehead before turning away, saying "See ya around, Hinata."

Hinata gaps and feels her mouth opening and closing like a fish, "W-W-what?" She wavers there like she's complicating on whether or not she should go after him.

But he's gone and she's left with the feeling of his lips on his forehead, a few inches shy of where Deidara's had been only hours before.

Hinata leans against a tree and takes a deep breath.

These boys will surely kill her.

-:- -:- -:-

Hinata thinks its weird that she has willingly entered the shooting range. Then again...things are really starting to get intense. Her training with Sasuke hadn't exactly been successful, but now that she knows the basics, and has her very own killing machine, she can at least practice on her own.

She loads it with careful fingers, taking her time putting the bullets in the strip and locking them into place. She stands like Sasuke told her, feet shoulder width apart and fires three times in quick succession. She's hit her target, for the most part. It pains her to know that she's gotten better with the metal device, but at the same time she's proud she's finally got the hang of it.

It's a weird mix of emotion, but she figures that it's healthy to fear the weapon you use. Maybe this way, she'll be more hesitant before pulling the trigger.

She can name several people who will disagree with her hesitating before aiming to kill, Sasuke and Neji being two of them, but if someone's life is in her hands...she can't just _end_ it.

Her hands slide over the piece of metal before she sighs and turns back to the target. She can see that she's improved...she just hopes she'll never have to shoot at an actual living person again.

"Hey Hinata," Someone taps on the glass separating the room. "We have a mission."

Hinata turns around to see Sakura. The sight of the girl sends a little shock through her as she hasn't seen the Haruno since the news of Ino's treachery. Hinata takes off the thick earmuffs and sets her gun on a nearby table. "What's up?"

"You're going to need that." Sakura gestures towards the weapon. "We have a mission." She repeats.

Hinata blinks at her and picks her gun back up, "I thought missions were put on hold..."

Sakura turns away from her, "Drug trades were put on hold, but can probably resume them now that Ino's gone." Her voice goes up a pitch before returning to normal, "But this is different."

Hinata nods despite the worry that's suddenly welled up. "What are we doing?"

"Infiltration. Intelligence." Sakura mutters, "I'll explain in the car. Just grab you stuff, hopefully we'll be done in less than thirty minutes."

"It seems like the only thing we're good for is infiltration missions, eh Sakura?" Hinata jokes, trying to keep the mood light.

"Speak for yourself, Hyuga." Sakura responds, but she's laughing. Hinata takes that as a good sign and walks up to her.

"Is what I'm wearing okay?"

Sakura looks over, her eyes lack the malicious intent that they had held months ago. Now her eyes are just sad. "You're fine," She says, "This isn't even a real mission. It should take less than thirty minutes-and even that's stretching it."

They slip into Sakura's little black car easily and jet down the street. "So what are we doing?"

Sakura's eyes slide to Hinata and again, she's surprised at the lack of...fire in her gaze. It's like all Sakura's bad-intention towards Hinata has melted away and is replaced with indifference. Not that Hinata is complaining. The change in attitude is more than welcome.

"There's this abandoned house bordering our turf. Literally, like, bordering it. It's close enough that Naruto is freaking out about it." Sakura rolls her eyes and turns back to the road as they pull out of their HQ, "Naruto and Sasuke live down the street from it and they've been noticing strange activity. You know...people not from around here coming in and out frequently...strange cars. That type of thing."

"Okaaay," Hinata nods slowly. Could be something, could be absolutely nothing. She wonders what Naruto and Sasuke are so freaked out about.

"Yeah, so they spoke with Shikamaru like they always do," Sakura rolls her eyes again, "He should totally just be the leader of this stupid gang already. It's not like the other two idiots know what they're doing anymore."

"Uh, right." Hinata agrees hesitantly. She's never really heard Sakura talk bad about the Uchiha before, but there's a first time for everything.

"So anyway, Shikamaru thinks that the Akatsuki are planning their advance on our turf or something-Readying their crack houses or something ridiculous like that. Since everything is tense and fucked up now, a war can spring up any moment. Sasuke wants us to check the house out really quick to make sure nothing weird is going on."

"Sounds easy enough." Hinata says, trying to sound reassuring, but Sakura's negativity sinks into her skin and chills her bones. Hinata glances at her from the corner of her eye, noticing that the girl just looks _tired_. All this fighting isn't what she signed up for-she just wanted to be with her friends. Hinata understands that...after all, that's why Hinata herself joined. "Um...w-what specifically are we looking for?"

Sakura throws her hands in the air, causing the wheel to jerk to the left. "Who knows? Those assholes really _don't_ know what they're doing. We can only hope that we can get in and get out and report something."

Hinata doesn't know if 'those assholes' refer to the Akatsuki or Naruto and Sasuke, so she just nods along with the fuming pinkette.

"-And you know what? I haven't been able to _shoot_ anyone lately!" Sakura continues, her fingers pressing hard against the steering wheel. "Naruto-baka is too worried to send me on any _real_ missions anymore. 'Says that I have to be careful 'cause I'm a girl. What I should be doing is beating him until he understands the concept of _feminism_ and gender-equality-" She pulls the car up to Sasuke and Naruto's apartment complex and gets out, "We're walking to the house, by the way."

Hinata sort of shrinks away from the raging pinkette. She and Hinata had never been on the best of terms and Sakura ranting to her is just..._weird._ Still, Hinata can't blame her. Ino was a best friend to them both. Now neither of them have anyone to talk to...they're alike in that aspect.

"-God I know he's worried about me but he has to understand that I know what I'm doing. I'm pretty sure I'm a better shooter than him _anyways_," She storms down the street without looking to see if Hinata was following. "You have your gun on you right?"

"Y-yeah." Hinata confirms, she jogs up to catch up with the pinkette, "Uh...Sakura?"

"Hmm?" The Haruno turns around, her emerald gaze curious if not annoyed.

"Y-You're going the wrong w-way..."

"Tch." Sakura spins around and grabs Hinata's elbow to pull her forward. They walk in silence for all of two minutes before Sakura says, "So...you and Sasuke, huh?"

Hinata pauses and stumbles a little, "Uh—umm..."

Sakura rolls her eyes, "Don't worry. I'm not going to eat you." She looks away for a moment, "I know that before...I came off...pretty strong." More like psycho. "But I've loved Sasuke for a long time. I couldn't accept that some new girl had captured Sasuke's attention. I mean I'm still hurt but," Sakura shrugs, her eyes turning sad, "In the end we're all in this gang together. After Ino left...I realized I can't go around hating you. The situation is too dangerous. We need to trust each other."

Hinata nods, trying to come up with something to say back to her. She comes up with nothing and can only offer Sakura a small smile. Sakura's speech makes her feel better about their relationship. Maybe one day they can be friends? The thought is still weird to Hinata.

"So..are you guys together?" The spark of interest in Sakura's eyes is genuine. Still, Hinata can see a hint of jealousy twisting her mouth and making her face look pinched.

"Uh..n-not really." Hinata responds and Sakura just shakes her head muttering 'what a waste.'

"Whatever. It's no longer any of my business." She sounds like she resents the fact...even though it was _never_ her business to start with. Hinata decides to keep quiet behind her...besides...they've just made up...sort of. "Anyway, we're here."

Hinata blinks up at the house. It look like her own, with a low sloping roof, rickety front door, and yellow grass. Sakura is right; it's literally on the edge of their turf, only a block and a half away from the official land. It's in limbo...some type of weird in-between except way more dangerous. She's sure that rival gang members would be shot just for standing this close. "Too dangerous for a rival gang member to be around here, if you ask me, " Hinata mumbles.

"Yeah." Sakura agrees, climbing over bricks around to the back of the house, "Suicidal. The Akatsuki is crazy though." She peers into a low window, "Take out your gun."

Hinata does as she's told, "See anything?"

"No. You go around the other side...see if there are any unlocked windows." Sakura says, "Looks pretty empty over here. I'll follow you after I check the garage and shed."

"Okay." Hinata grips the gun in her palm, hair raises on the back of her neck as she walks further and further away from Sakura. She scales the side of the building and finds one window...and just her luck...it's open. Hinata doesn't know if she should thank Kami or wonder if he's trying to kill her as she calls for Sakura. She slips inside with just a little difficulty and decides on taking the safety off her gun just in case. It feels sweaty in her palms but she just tightens her grip.

For the most part, the house is empty. She can't see anything drug or weapon related. The floorboards creak under her weight and she bites her lip as a shiver runs down her spine. Even though she can't find anything...she still feels weird. The thin coat of dust on the floor makes her feet slide a little but she continues on into the kitchen.

The kitchen is empty too, save for a table and a couple of old chairs. Hinata sighs and moves back into the living room, taking in the glass table in the corner and dirty couch resting awkwardly in the middle of the otherwise empty room.

"Pretty girl." Heavy footsteps come from behind her, and he back stiffens immideietly. "Did you come to play with Tobi?"

When Hinata doesn't answer, the footsteps continue until she knows he's right behind her.

Hinata closes her eyes for a second, and listens to her heart ram against her ribcage. She can't freak out right now. Think rationally; this is life or death. So much for an 'easy' mission. Maybe Sakura was right; Naruto and Sasuke really are idiots unfit to lead a gang. Hinata quickly tries to think of a plan, if she's correct the Akatsuki member she's just run into is Tobi, a kid one year younger than her who always wears a mask.

She turns around to find that she's right. The orange mask only creeps her out but she stands her ground, smiling. "Yes, I did."

Tobi's one visible eye crinkles up and Hinata imagines that he's grinning behind his mask. To her amazement he claps his hands and squeals. "Yay! Kakuzu said he saw pretty girls!"

Hinata feels another shiver run down her spine. There's another guy here? And he'd been watching her and Sakura the whole time? "Right. Well h-here I am." She says to Tobi, stepping closer. She hasn't had a real martial arts fight in a while; and now's the time to start. She swings her fist in a wide arch and can't be surprised when it doesn't connect. Tobi ducks her blow, eye still crinkling creepily behind the mask.

"This is fun."

Hinata can't exactly share that opinion as Tobi's hand reaches out to grab her around the throat. Hinata grabs his wrist last second and twist his arm behind him while kneeing him in the stomach. While he's bent over her knee Hinata him on a pressure point on the back of his neck with the butt of her gun. She winces when the gun connects with skin but feels better as the struggle has stopped.

Tobi becomes limp against her knee for a moment, and when she thinks its over he grabs her forearms from behind and is quickly flipping her towards the floor. _He's not unconscious?_ Is all Hinata manages to think before her face smashes against dusty wood flooring. Tobi throws her gun across the room.

So much for trying to solve things without the killing device. If she'd just shot him in the beginning, she wouldn't be in this situation, now would she? Hinata curses herself for her kindness and naivety.

Locks and holds were never Hinata's specialty but she wrestles with Tobi for a couple of seconds before rolling over on her back and kicking him square in the jaw-er where his jaw should be...behind the mask. His head snaps back and he crashes into the table behind him, sending newspapers and McDonald's wrappers into the air around him as the table smashes to the floor in a million glass pieces.

The asshole only _laughs_. God, these Akatsuki jerks are crazy. The Hyuga scoots away before Tobi can come back at her. "Tobi thinks Hinata-chan is fun to play with. Does Hinata-chan like Tobi too?"

Hinata pushes herself off the ground, her face coloring with bruises and anger. "No, Hinata-chan does _not_." Hinata doesn't even bother trying to figure out how the guy knows her name. She's probably a celebrity over there with the Akatsuki, after her whole 'betraying-her-father' act. She lunges across the room, trying to grab at her gun but Tobi swings his fist into her stomach knocking the air out of her lungs. She coughs loudly and narrowly dodges another of Tobi's clumsy attacks.

"Yeah so, Hinata...There's nothing here but gardening tools. I think we're good to-oh." Sakura swings herself through the window to see Hinata and some-guy-in-a-mask engaged in a pretty tough looking fight. Now that Sakura thinks about it...she's about 90% sure that the indigo-haired girl went easy on her during their little initiation match so long ago. "Never mind then.."

_It'll be easy_, Naruto said, _Twenty minutes tops_.

Shaking her head, Sakura decides that she should probably be paying more attention, she leaps across the room and grabs Hinata's gun as the indigo haired girl fucking falcon punches the orange-masked-guy. Yeah, Sakura's sure that Hinata went easy on her.

"Hinata!" Sakura yells, and Hinata looks up just as Sakura's tossing the shiny metal weapon. Hinata almost doesn't catch it. Her eyes widen as Tobi's fist smashes against her cheek just as her fingers tighten around the weapon.

"Ugh," Hinata knows that that will hurt in the morning...you know...if she lives through this. With one eye closed she bashes the butt of the gun against the exposed part of Tobi's head, causing blood. Hinata winces, but now is no time to be feeling bad. Tobi falls down from the shock of the blow and Hinata quickly runs away and leans behind the one dusty couch in the living room.

"I see Tobi has finally found someone to play with him," A deep voice comes from the kitchen and Hinata leans her head back against the couch in defeat. Kakuzu has finally appeared. Before she gives up hope completely, she manages to send an S.O.S to Neji and Sasuke via text.

In the very next moment her phone is smashed against the floor in pieces and she's being pulled up from the ground by her hair. Her eyes glint dangerously as she turns to Tobi, whose eye is still in that _stupid _crinkly position, mocking her. There's blood dripping down from his head and onto his neck and clothes, when he grabs her arm, it leaves blood on her skin. She shivers.

"Tobi can can give out head wounds too." He cocks his head to the side and throws her across the room. Hinata stands on wobbly feet, her head aching and her blood pulsing through her skin, filling her with terror. Now what? She wipes blood off her forehead from a wound that doesn't seem to want to _stop bleeding. _She feels terribly dizzy and she hasn't heard Sakura speak in like...five minutes.

She looks over, concerned, to see Sakura battling it out with a guy twice her size. The Hyuga takes in his scars and stitches and weird eyes and can identify him immediately. The gambling 'treasurer' of Akatsuki. The man is never without money.

Hinata closes her eyes again. She needs a new plan. She allows herself to feel the blood sloshing through her veins and her heart pounding terribly in her chest, before coming back to reality. It seems that Kami does, in fact, want her to live, as her gun is right where she left it after knocking it against Tobi's head. She grips it between two sweaty palms and time slows down. She aims straight at Tobi who's coming towards her with the same crinkly eye expression.

She fires twice.

She can't believe it.

She _missed._

Hinata tightens her grip and releases a bark of panic as Tobi pulls out a bigger gun out of, what seems like, thin air. He aims it straight at her and Hinata dives behind the couch, wondering if she's suddenly jumped into a crime movie.

Hinata almost cries from relief when she feels Sakura move next to her, looking as beat up as Hinata is. She's been holding her own against the man that is Kakuzu, which is a pretty big feat of its own.

"Hinata," Sakura whispers,her breath coming out in quick gasps, "You need to calm down and shoot straight. Okay?" Her hair is plastered to her forehead in sweat and she has bruises forming on her arms and legs. Sakura wastes no time seeing if Hinata will do as she says, as she turns to fire at Kakuzu.

"Okay," Hinata whispers back as bullets whiz over her head. She wipes blood from her forehead and aims for Tobi-who's stupid eye is still crinkled up like he's having the time of his life. Her hands shake around the black weapon, fingers tensing, and then...then she jerks her index finger back against the trigger three times. Tobi is knocked back, his body going left and then right and then left again in all of two seconds, before finally hitting the ground.

Hinata feels like her lungs have collapsed. She can't _breathe_. Has she just..did she just...is he dead? He can't be...she couldn't have. She watches red stain the his white T-shirt and pool out around the floor. She can't breathe, she can't even feel her own heart breathing. Is she dead too?

Hinata's world starts spinning and she raises one hand to her neck. She can't _breathe. _She's not _breathing-oh God_ she's going to die. She's going to die just like Tobi-just like that kid that's just like her that's she's just shot with her very own fingers. Her hand moves to cover her heart. Is it beating? Is she alive?

Why should she be alive when she's just killed a man? He's _dead_. She _killed_ him. If she's really alive...if this is really real...how will she live with herself?

The gun slips from her fingers as Hinata tries to remember how to breathe while forgetting how to duck.

Suddenly there's this heaviness about her arm. She doesn't quite know what it is but it feels...weird. She looks down but her vision on blurs even more. She tries to move is but it doesn't respond, she tries to move it again and it's like her whole torso has caught on fire.

The only thing that registers in her mind is the sound of another gunshot and she's figured it out. God, she's been shot. Black dots dance in front of her eyes. God, she's been shot. Darkness comes over her and she can just feel her back hitting something hard. God, she's never been shot before. God, is she going to die?

She doesn't want to die.

-:- -:- -:-

"Ugh." Her body hurts all over. Her head screams curses at an incessant beeping noise and she feels like her insides are splitting apart slowly. "Am I dead?" Is she dead? She'd rather be dead.

"'Fraid not." A pair of dark eyes hover over her, a smirk in place. Hinata tries to focus on them. She takes in amused eyes and curved lips and a stupid hairstyle. Sasuke.

He pokes her rib and grins when she groans aloud and her heart rate increases. "Hear that? That's a sound of the living."

Hinata wants to bury her head under a pillow but doesn't even want to move, her body feels too heavy to even try to anyway, "What? The groan of pain or the heart rate monitor?"

"The groan of pain. Definitely the groan of pain." Sasuke responds, his eyes still light like the occasion is a happy one. He smirks down at her, "I can't believe you let a silly arm wound knock you out like that."

What was she supposed to do? Act like it was just a scratch? She's not crazy...or masochistic...unlike some people apparently. She sniffs and feels drowsiness overcome her again, the beeping sounds more like a lullaby now, she appreciates it; it's telling her she's still living. "I hate you." Yeah, that sounds about right. She hates Sasuke. He's rude and _mean_ and wait-did he just said she was shot in the arm? Hinata tries to look down but only becomes dizzy instead. "Auu_ug_h.."

"Go to sleep." He says, moving her hair out of her face, smile dropping. Hinata's eyes flutter closed and he presses a kiss on his forehead.

He turns away from her to face Naruto and Neji, his face becoming a mask again. Naruto snickers at Sasuke's brief show of emotion but otherwise goes back to standing in the corner talking quietly with the other Hyuga.

They both look angry standing there together. Naruto stands impatiently, wanting to visit Sakura in the room over, but knowing that he should speak with the Uchiha first.

The light in Sasuke's eyes quickly fades and becomes angry and dark, he turns towards the two men. "Tobi's dead, right?"

"Yeah." Naruto gestures towards Hinata before following Neji and Sasuke out of the hospital room and into the hallway. "She killed him-hopefully she won't remember though. It'll tear her up inside."

Sasuke's mouth twists into a grimace. He knows that. He knows it could ruin her. He figures he'll just have to fix her himself, if it comes down to it. "And Kakuzu?"

"Shikamaru and Tenten caught him before he could escape. They took him up to the HQ and he's being guarded by them both plus Kiba and Shino." Neji explains. "He's not talking, but I'm sure you can get something out of him."

Sasuke nods and glances back into Hinata's hospital room through the little window. "Okay. That's two down, eight to go."

-:- -:- -:-

**An. At first this was a filler and then it turned semi-important. Well...whatever. I've been puzzling over this chapter literally all day and I finally got what I wanted out of it.**

**Also I felt that Hinata needed more badass moments. Who doesn't like badass Hinata?**

**Poor Tobi. Sad to kill him (even though in the real Narutoverse he's not even Tobi anymore-but that doesn't matter)**

**Yeah so now I have to write a chapter to follow up this chapter that wasn't even supposed to happen. It'll be a filler-y one but maybe I'll sneak some fluff in there c:**

**anywaaays**

**Review!**


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